New Government Leads Gyeongbuk Province in Implementing the 'Digital Platform Government'!

Discovery of 88 Metaverse Projects to Establish Gyeongbuk as the Metaverse Capital

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Gyeongsangbuk-do, which aims to establish Gyeongbuk as the metaverse capital, is taking the lead in realizing the "Digital Platform Government" declared by the new administration.

As the 20th president-elect has declared a digital hegemony nation and a digital platform government, and digital transformation including the metaverse is a key topic discussed at the Presidential Transition Committee, Gyeongbuk Province's efforts to secure a foothold in the metaverse are accelerating.

On the 19th, Gyeongbuk Province held a metaverse project briefing at the provincial office attended by Choi Seong-gwang, co-chairman of the public-private joint Metaverse Gyeongbuk Promotion Committee, among others.

Until the 4th, the Metaverse Gyeongbuk Policy Advisory Group conducted strategic consultations to enhance the completeness of 88 discovered metaverse projects by considering ▲business feasibility (profitable metaverse) ▲popularity (metaverse attracting people) ▲suitability (metaverse integrated digitally) ▲urgency (priority).

The representative projects include ▲(platform) Metaverse Daegu·Gyeongbuk New Airport and four major Hallyu projects ▲(education·experience) the first MR (Mixed Reality)-based metaverse education and experience center established by a local government ▲(talent development + employment linkage) metaverse academy in collaboration with major companies and universities.

The Metaverse Daegu·Gyeongbuk New Airport and four major Hallyu projects will serve as the representative platform encompassing metaverse projects of provinces, cities, counties, and organizations. In the first phase, starting from the second half of this year, metaverse new airport and four major Hallyu metaverse experience zones?covering Hangeul, Hanbok, Hansik, and Hanok?will be established.

In the second phase, metaverse projects by sector and specialized metaverse projects by city and county will be linked, and in the third phase, connections will be made with metaverse platforms of other metropolitan local governments to provide diverse metaverse services to city and provincial residents.

The metaverse new airport strategy involves first experimenting and experiencing the immigration processes and smart systems of famous overseas airports in the metaverse, then applying them to the actual Daegu·Gyeongbuk new airport.

To this end, the province is conducting a "Metaverse Platform Construction Consulting Research Service."

The MR (Mixed Reality)-based metaverse education and experience center, the first of its kind established by a local government, benchmarks the Metaversity MR lecture room of Pohang University of Science and Technology and will support residents to vividly experience the metaverse starting from the second half of this year.

Idle spaces with good visitor accessibility within the provincial office will be remodeled to create metaverse experience spaces, education spaces, and rest areas. Programs tailored to students and entrepreneurs will be provided, including basic education on metaverse concepts, production technology, and content creation.

The metaverse academy focuses on talent development and employment linkage by providing customized education needed by youth to nurture metaverse developers and creators, thereby building a metaverse creative ecosystem.

Stepwise learning programs such as pre-learning, self-directed learning, and company-linked learning, along with close learning support from major domestic companies and experts, will cultivate excellent metaverse talent and provide a talent pool to companies with demand.

In addition to online learning, the MR-based metaverse experience and education center will be linked to maximize learning effects, and regional academies are also being prepared for the second half of the year.

To this end, the province is continuing discussions with metaverse education specialized companies and university-industry cooperation groups within the province regarding curriculum establishment.

Alongside this, the four major metaverse projects discovered will be prioritized according to expert advice, matched with government projects, and scaled up to secure national funds and private investment for project promotion.

Gyeongbuk Province is conducting research services to develop concrete logic and secure feasibility for metaverse projects, including ▲establishing the Metaverse Gyeongbuk master plan ▲building and linking the metaverse-NFT (blockchain) ecosystem ▲attracting and establishing national metaverse projects and regional base institutions ▲constructing and operating a metaverse social innovation center. This research is scheduled to be completed in June.

Furthermore, the province is focusing administrative efforts on proposing the establishment of a metaverse convergence industry cluster, a core project for making Gyeongbuk the metaverse capital, and the digital platform government’s representative tasks to the government, National Assembly, and transition committee, aiming for project adoption and budget securing.

Before the briefing, Governor Lee Cheol-woo said, "Realizing the digital platform government targeted by the new administration and advancing as a leading metaverse nation is something Gyeongbuk can do best," adding, "We will successfully support this from the local level by establishing Gyeongbuk as the metaverse capital."

Choi Seong-gwang, co-chairman of the public-private joint Metaverse Gyeongbuk Promotion Committee, said, "We will accompany the vision of Gyeongbuk as the metaverse capital and take the lead in building next-generation metaverse infrastructure in Gyeongbuk and expanding the regional metaverse ecosystem through this."

Since February, Gyeongbuk Province has accelerated administrative transformation through metaverse by announcing the basic concept of Metaverse Gyeongbuk, launching the Metaverse Gyeongbuk Policy Advisory Group, and holding the vision proclamation ceremony for Gyeongbuk as the metaverse capital, followed by a metaverse business agreement with Seoul City in March and a metaverse National Assembly seminar.