The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) revealed on Monday that Seoul will be the first major city to go into the metaverse.
New virtual reality city: Metaverse Seoul
This month, the government of Seoul announced an official name for its new virtual reality city: ‘Metaverse Seoul’. It wants to build a virtual communication ecosystem for all sectors of city management, which it is currently doing in phases. This would include economic, cultural, tourism, educational and civic service industries in three stages from next year.
By 2023, Seoul hopes to create a metaverse "allowing citizens to conveniently meet with avatar officials to deal with civil complaints and consultations, which are currently handled only by visiting municipal offices." https://t.co/cl6KiqldPX
— William Gallo (@GalloVOA) November 3, 2021
The metaverse is a shared 3D virtual world in which participants may engage with augmented and virtual reality technology to accomplish anything. These platforms have grown in popularity over the last several years as individuals have increasingly shifted their activities online, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic.
The development received funding from the South Korean government, with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s Seoul Vision 2030 strategy providing KRW 3.9 billion (about €2.8 billion). It aims to make Seoul “a city of coexistence, a global leader, a safe city, and a future emotional city,” the mayor said.
“Seoul will pioneer a new continent called ‘Metaverse Seoul’ by combining public demand with private technology.”
-Park Jong-soo, Director General of Smart City Policy at the Seoul Metropolitan Government
