Surf's up! Giant 3D wave breaks over Seoul's Gangnam District every hour on a 262ft wide digital billboard (4 Pics)

A giant 3D wave breaks every hour in a realistic art simulation on South Korea's largest digital billboard.

The huge wave has appeared on the SMTown COEX building, with the billboard measuring at a massive 262 by 66 feet, in Seoul's Gangnam District.

The wave crashes for one minute each hour, giving a 3D illusion of a large glass tank rather than a 2D wraparound digital display.

A video shows the remarkable instalment in action, with the wave rising up the back of the 'tank' before crashing down to the front of the building, giving the appearance of the water being contained by glass.

The huge wave has appeared on the SMTown COEX building, with the billboard measuring at a massive 262 by 66 feet, in Seoul's Gangnam business district

But amazingly, the pedestrians do not seem to flinch as they walk past the wave, which looks as though it could spill out of the 'aquarium' at any moment. 

The billboard even has realistic 'damp lines' on the screen where the wave splashes, making the anamorphic illusion look even more like a real water tank. 

The billboard was initially developed by Samsung and is made up off around 31,000 LEDs and covers a total area of 17,437 square feet.

The COEX building is a convention and exhibition centre that doubles as a gigantic mall and its billboard is often used for brand advertisements and K-pop videos.

The realistic simulation called 'WAVE' was designed by d'strict, a firm whose speciality is using immersive technology to create public art.   

A video shows the wave crash for one minute each hour, giving a 3D illusion of an aquarium inside large glass tank rather than a 2D wraparound digital display

 The realistic simulation called 'WAVE' was designed by d'strict in four months, a firm whose speciality is using immersive technology to create public art

The project took four months from start to finish, including three months of digital design work, CNN reported.

Business development director at d'strict Jun Lee said: 'We want to create overwhelming experiences.

'Waves are beautiful and dynamic in themselves but we chose them as our subject because they evoke feelings of comfort - which is much needed now.' 

It was a challenge for d'strict to make sure the illusion would have the same depth from all angles, not only from the front of the wraparound screen.

The wave project has stunned people online as they are mesmerised by how realistic the crashing wave looks.  

The billboard was initially developed by Samsung and is made up off around 31,000 LEDs and covers a total area of 17,437 square feet

'The Wave serves as a sweet escape and brings comfort and relaxation to people. We didn’t expect so many people around the world to respond so positively to the Wave after its unveiling on social media, but we are very grateful that our message was seen as an unimaginable scene by many who are tired of the current pandemic and the trying times,' Sean Lee of d’strict told .

The billboard is often referred to as Seoul's version of Time Square as its gigantic advertisements light up the city's night sky. 

D'strict have showcased similar visuals as part of the Nexen UniverCity Project, including another of their realistic wave installations on an 'infinity wall'.

D'strict is also set to launch an immersive indoor theme park on Jeju Island this summer, even featuring a holographic theatre.