Seoul City, private test operation for 3,200 citizens… Phase 1 project officially opened at the end of November
Seoul City Hall Book Cafe, Seoul Plaza water play, youth mentoring counseling space, etc.

Seoul Plaza in 'Metaverse Seoul'

[Sijeong Daily Reporter Seung-yeol Lee] Seoul City will open some of the first phase services of 'Seoul's New Continent, Metaverse Seoul' based on virtual fusion technology for private testing for actual service users on the 31st.

Last October, the city established the 'Metaverse Seoul Basic Plan' for the first time in the world, and is gradually promoting a plan to introduce metaverse services throughout the city over a period of five years (2022-2026).

The subjects of the private testing are approximately 3,200 people, including users of the mentoring consultation of the online education platform 'Seoul Run' and the 'Seoul City IT New Technology Governance Group' consisting of experts. It is planned to operate until the official opening of the first phase project at the end of November.

The purpose of this private testing opening is to monitor user responses to some services and improve the completeness of the service before the official opening of the first phase project. During the test operation period, users can experience the metaverse Seoul City Hall and plaza where reality and virtuality are combined, and engage in experiences and activities that are difficult to encounter in reality.

Cute animals are placed in the lobby of Seoul City Hall to respond interestingly when interacting with avatars. There is also an open book cafe space where you can read Seoul City e-books. In Seoul Plaza, you can enjoy water games in accordance with the summer season, and you can see the exterior of the city hall, surrounding roads, buildings, and fountains that change depending on the day and night mode.

There is also an avatar virtual counseling room where Seoul Run youth can consult with mentors about their concerns without any burden. In the lobby of the space-themed counseling room, you can check various promotional content and notices, and meet mentoring NPCs who guide and help with services.

The city plans to actively reflect the responses and opinions of citizens through the test service in the first phase of ‘Metaverse Seoul’.

Lee Hye-kyung, the digital policy officer for Seoul City, said, “We will collect citizens’ opinions on the Metaverse Seoul platform that Seoul City is leading in building and strive to provide better services,” and added, “Starting with the introduction of metaverse technology to the city this year, we will expand metaverse administrative services specialized in economy, culture, education, and tourism without time or space constraints.”

 Source: City Administration Daily (http://www.sijung.co.kr)