Seoul To Become First City Government To Enter Metaverse, Will Recreate Virtual Public Square

The platform is planned to kick off this December with a virtual new year’s bell-ringing ceremony, Quartz reported. 

Pedestrians walk along a path at City Hall Plaza in Seoul. (Anthony WALLACE / AFP)

New Delhi: Seoul is set to become the first major city government to enter the metaverse as the South Korean capital recently announced its plan to provide several public services and cultural events available in the metaverse, Quartz reported.

This comes as metaverse is believed to be the next big revolution as an immersive internet experience that is based on virtual reality. 

According to Quartz’s report, the Seoul government plans to develop its own metaverse platform by the end of 2022 which is expected to be fully operational by 2026.

The platform will host a host of public functions such as a virtual mayor’s office and spaces pertaining to the business sector, a fintech incubator, and a public investment firm.

As per the report, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s 10-year plan for the city is backed by a 3.9 billion won ($3.3 million) investment with the objective to improve social mobility among citizens and raise the city’s global competitiveness.

The platform is planned to kick off this December with a virtual new year’s bell-ringing ceremony, Quartz reported. 

The city plans to open “Metaverse 120 Center” in 2023 as a place for virtual public services where avatars will deal with citizens’ concerns which currently can only be addressed by physically going to city hall, it mentioned.

If all goes as planned, Seoul residents will be able to visit the virtual city hall to do various activities ranging from touring a historic site to filing a civil complaint.

As mentioned earlier, the metaverse is seen as the next major leap in the world of technology and the internet. Companies like Microsoft, Nike, and Meta (rebranded from Facebook) attempt to be key players in bringing about the next internet revolution.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s capital city Seoul is the only government looking to invest in metaverse to recreate the virtual public square.