Disney’s beloved characters, including Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, are set to meet Korea’s historic palace in a unique exhibition that blends centuries-old royal heritage with globally adored pop culture icons.

On Monday, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), responsible for managing and promoting the nation’s cultural heritage, announced that it will present the exhibition “Mickey in the Palace: Art Beyond Boundaries” in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company Korea. This event will showcase works by local artists depicting Disney characters naturally blending with royal heritage at Dondeokjeon Hall, as part of efforts to widely promote the value of national heritage.

“This exhibition is part of an agreement signed in June to enhance and widely promote the traditional value of national heritage both domestically and internationally,” the KHS stated. “It will present works reinterpreted from the perspective of young Korean artists, showing Disney characters visiting Deoksu Palace’s Dondeokjeon Hall and naturally blending with the royal heritage.”

Located inside Deoksu Palace, Dondeokjeon Hall is a historic Western-style building used as a royal guesthouse during the 1897-1910 Korean Empire period. The exhibition can be viewed daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., from September 28 to October 20, except on Mondays when Deoksu Palace is closed.

Notably, illustrator Wooh Na-young, the KHS’s promotional ambassador, will present a six-panel folding screen depicting Mickey Mouse and friends experiencing various national heritages, including Deoksu Palace, while traveling in Korea. Her work, titled “Mickey Jangsaengdo,” is inspired by Sipjangsaengdo, a court painting wishing for longevity. It features Mickey and Minnie in traditional wedding attire and Donald Duck in hanbok, or traditional Korean costume.

“Being an illustrator and being able to collaborate with Disney over and over again is one of my greatest blessings,” Wooh shared on Instagram.

Ahn Yu-jin, a holder of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage of dancheong, collaborates with contemporary artist Jang Seung-jin to create object works that blend traditional and modern aesthetics. Dancheong is a traditional form of decorative art based on five colors — blue, red, yellow, white, and black — and involves coloring and pattern-drawing on the surfaces of wooden buildings as well as handicraft items.

Artist Kim Se-dong created print works depicting Disney characters enjoying themselves in front of the palace, while sculptor Kang Jae-won’s balloon sculpture, portraying Disney characters walking on a bird in the palace pond, greets visitors. During the exhibition period, photo zones will be set up where visitors can take pictures with Disney character sculptures.

Additionally, the KHS announced that a music video of K-pop group AKMU’s Lee Su-hyun reinterpreting Disney theme songs against the backdrop of Seokjojeon Hall will be released through its YouTube channel. 

Sayart / Sims green sims010@naver.com