SKT 'K-Pop Metaverse Project'... First Star is Girl Group 'Weeekly'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] SK Telecom is promoting a ‘K-pop Metaverse Project’ utilizing mixed reality technology together with rising K-pop stars such as the girl group Weeekly. Not only will various appearances of K-pop stars be realized as augmented reality (AR) content, but metaverse-based music video production and concerts are also being prepared. This is interpreted as a move to both continue the global K-pop craze by presenting a new way to enjoy K-pop in the virtual world and to preoccupy the metaverse market.

According to SK Telecom on the 29th, the first participant in the K-pop Metaverse Project is the idol group Weeekly. SK Telecom produced digital human content of Weeekly members based on volumetric capture technology from its mixed reality production studio ‘Jump Studio’ and recently released it on the ‘JumpAR’ platform. Fans can create their own music videos with the ‘Digital Weeekly’ in their own space. Additionally, SK Telecom newly produced the music video for Weeekly’s representative song ‘After School’ in a metaverse format that blends virtual and real worlds.

This project was planned with the purpose of continuing the global K-pop craze and expanding the public’s mixed reality experience by presenting a new way to enjoy K-pop under the changing entertainment industry trends in the untact era. The term metaverse, which first appeared in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel, refers to a three-dimensional virtual world where the boundaries between reality and virtuality disappear.

In particular, SK Telecom expects this project to serve as a catalyst for the future spread of new forms of K-pop content based on mixed reality. Unlike in the past when fans had to go to concert halls in person to meet their favorite stars, now it is possible to be in the same space with stars through AR, virtual reality (VR) technology, and more.

SK Telecom is also preparing plans to hold concerts or fan meetings of K-pop stars including Weeekly in metaverse spaces within its VR-based social communication service ‘Virtual Meetup’.

Meanwhile, as the full-fledged metaverse era dawns across industries, SK Telecom has changed the name of its existing ‘MR Service CO (Company)’ to ‘Metaverse CO.’ Jeon Jinsoo, head of SK Telecom’s Metaverse CO, said, “We plan to collaborate with various K-pop stars to provide customers with new experiences based on mixed reality,” adding, “We will lead the spread of global K-pop enthusiasm and popularization of mixed reality content by offering domestic and international K-pop fans opportunities to enjoy more vivid and special content in their daily lives.”