Seoul, the capital of South Korea, took the initiative by introducing the first phase of “Metaverse Seoul” on January 16. It is an online metaverse platform where the government offers services to the people, such as administrative, economic, tax, and education. The authority claims to be the first publicly supported metaverse platform backed by a city government.
At a press conference on Friday, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-Hoon declare official release of this project. The first stage of Seoul after a successful beta test. The mayor of the city stated that the internet will be a “place of communication for citizens,” where people can view official documents, file specific complaints, and get information about paying city taxes.
The second phase will start in 2024 and include some more comprehensive services, such as real estate consulting and introducing foreign investors to domestic businesses.
Seoul officials expect to complete the public metaverse by 2026, acknowledging that the third phase will be able to use a combination of virtual reality technology tools to manage the city’s physical assets more accurately.
Seoul Authorities Show Interest In Metaverse
The South Korean government has shown great interest in maximizing the benefits of the Metaverse, or virtual reality environment. This project is part of the so-called Web3 movement, a new step towards an internet supported without the intervention of centralized entities and towards a decentralized platform built around the blockchain.
South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT announced a proposal for spend a 223.7 billion Korean WON – $180 million fund to invest in the country’s metaverse sector by February 2022.
The President of South Korea, Yoon Suk-Yeol, considers developing this technology a top priority. As a result, big South Korean companies like Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom, and Naver Corp. have all expanded into the metaverse.
South Korea’s Ministry of Science defines the metaverse as the intersection of the digital and physical worlds, where users can interact to provide economic, social, and cultural benefits.
The government’s Digital Policy Division describes Metaverse Seoul as a place where reality meets online, and creativity meets communication. Recently, a Korean neuroscientist named Jang Dong-Seon stated on the municipal government Podcast channel that cyber platforms have turned the city into a “first mover” in the global public service sector.
The platform is also concerned with preventing illegal acts like sexual crimes involving user avatars, verbal harassment, and information leakage. Therefore, Seoul Digital Foundation’s “Code of Ethics for Metaverse” was chosen as a guideline of conduct on the platform. Avatars are not allowed to touch each other, vulgarity is automatically filtered out, and users can report problems they encounter.
In addition, many businesses around the world announced their intention to build virtual offices after Facebook changed its name to Meta in October 2021. However, some famous systems, including FTX, Voyager Digital, and the Celsius Network, became silent in 2022, which may slow adoption.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading around $21,300, up 23% from last week.
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