The Seoul Metropolitan Government has formally launched its own metaverse platform, a virtual environment where users can participate in games, chat, submit paperwork, get tax assistance, and access other city services. The capital of South Korea is the first significant city to establish a public metaverse platform, with a five-year plan for launching comprehensive governmental, commercial, tourist, and cultural offerings.
The Metaverse Seoul project, first made available through the Google Play and Apple app stores last year, is now widely accessible.
“Metaverse Seoul will be an important communication tool for citizens in the new normal,” said Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. “It is an inclusive administrative service that everyone can take advantage of without any time and space obstacles.”
Seoul residents can access official city paperwork during the initial rollout, file complaints, and receive customized responses about local taxes.
Companies can engage in remote consulting sessions with specialists in a business support center using chat, voice, video, and screen-sharing features. Adolescents and teens can access mentoring and educational support through an avatar-based counseling service.
In addition, users can explore the mayor’s office and play games in a virtual version of Seoul Plaza. Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul Forest Park, Han River, and Lotte Tower are just a few of the ten well-known Seoul tourist attractions faithfully recreated.
South Korea is heavily embracing the metaverse. The nation’s Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed a $183 million investment to foster expertise, assist local businesses, and develop legal frameworks for emerging technology to establish a “national metaverse ecosystem.”
Under COVID-19 restrictions on sizable public gatherings, Seoul launched its metaverse aspirations last year with a virtual New Year’s Eve bell-ringing ceremony to ring in 2022.
According to officials, the goal is to create a platform that eventually manages all of the city’s administrative functions. As per the city government, the first phase of Metaverse Seoul costs $1.6 million, and the second phase of the project is expected to cost about $2.2 million this year.
“Seoul will spare no effort to provide initial services stably and become a first mover to maintain its title as the world’s first city to create a public metaverse platform,” Oh said.
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