[Courtesy of Seoul City]

SEOUL — Seoul became the first city in the world to provide administrative services using the metaverse, a virtually created world accessible via smart devices or PCs, across various sectors including the economy, education and tax. Seoulites can communicate with their mayor regarding public policy by creating avatars in the virtual world.

The municipal authorities unveiled their plan in November 2021 to provide metaverse-based services in all administrative sectors by 2026 through a 3.9 billion won ($3.15 million) project. Through “Metaverse Seoul,” a mega-project designed to recreate the capital city within a metaverse world, avatar workers will handle various civic grievances and provide virtual tourism experiences such as…