"Confidently Embracing AR·VR, Bringing 'Disruptive Development' to Various Industries"

Jeon Jin-su SK Telecom Head Receives Minister of Industry Award ... First in AR·VR Sector

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] "Through augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), you can enjoy 360-degree stereoscopic videos and interact with them. 'Disruptive' development and growth are expected in various industries such as culture, education, commerce, healthcare, and defense."

Jeon Jin-su, Head of SK Telecom 5GX Service Division, who was recognized for his contributions to the development of AR/VR in Korea and received the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Minister’s Commendation?the first in the industry?stated the importance of AR/VR technology in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in an interview with Asia Economy on the 11th.

As a leading AR/VR technology expert in Korea and the leader of the related organization at SK Telecom, Jeon was acknowledged for his efforts to expand the ecosystem since the early stages of technology development and was named among three AR/VR contributors at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s 'Electronics and IT Day Commemoration Event' held the day before. This is the first time the government has awarded contributors in the AR/VR industry.

Jeon expressed his award sentiment, saying, "As someone who has worked in AR/VR for a long time, I am very pleased and overwhelmed to receive recognition for enduring patience in one field. It also gives me a sense of responsibility to create a better environment."

About ten years ago, when the term AR/VR itself was unfamiliar, Jeon was convinced that this field would become a promising future technology and a representative service as he observed global conglomerates acquiring related technology companies. By 2019, he had filed nearly 120 domestic and international patents related to AR/VR. The range of technologies includes automatic generation of lip movements and facial expressions according to the user's voice in AI avatar services, as well as sound control technologies. He plans to file more than 20 patents this year as well.

Jeon defined AR/VR technology as "a comprehensive technology and comprehensive art that encompasses optics, hardware, software, artificial intelligence (AI), game engines, graphics, services, and content," emphasizing that it is a field requiring expertise in various areas. He explained that with the commercialization of 5G enabling real-time transmission of large volumes of high-definition video data, the way people enjoy videos itself is changing. He predicted that such technology will be applied across various industries, enabling disruptive growth.

The government’s unveiling of the 'Virtual Convergence Economy Development Strategy' jointly by related ministries along with the first-ever AR/VR contributor awards the day before also reflects recognition of the importance of these technologies leading innovation in the non-face-to-face era. Jeon assessed, "Currently, Korea’s AR/VR technology is at a progressive stage," and stressed, "Long-term vision and continuous investment are necessary." He cited Korea’s strengths as related technologies such as 5G and the acceptance of advanced technologies.

Jeon, who attracted attention by projecting a giant AR dragon at a baseball stadium during last year’s professional baseball opening, also contributes to popularizing the AR/VR market by opening Asia’s highest-performance volumetric studio (Jump Studio) early this year and providing VR-based cultural heritage viewing services. He emphasized, "Next year, we will provide services that allow customers to communicate immersively even in non-face-to-face settings," and added, "We will strive toward the goal of 10 million users for our flagship service, 'Jump AR·VR.'"

Meanwhile, at the commemoration event the day before, along with Jeon, Park Jae-wan, CEO of AR platform company Maxst, and Woo Un-taek, professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, received ministerial commendations.