Seocho-gu, First Local Government Nationwide to Establish Senior Cultural and Leisure Complex Facility within Metaverse Platform

District Opens Virtual Welfare Center (Seocho Netinamoo Shelter) in Zepeto, Hosts Virtual Space Experience for Seniors... September Visit Photo Event, October Mini Concert, December Art Exhibition and More in Virtual Space

Zepeto Seocho Neutinamu Shelter

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seocho-gu (Mayor Jo Eun-hee) has been creating a virtual space of the local landmark ‘Seocho-gu Neutinamu Rest Area’ for seniors on Naver’s Metaverse game platform ‘Zepeto’ since the 1st of this month, offering participatory content.

The ‘Seocho-gu Neutinamu Rest Area’ within Zepeto is implemented exactly like the real building, allowing seniors who usually use the facility to experience a virtual space in a familiar environment.

The district has prepared various events to help seniors enjoy the virtual space.

First, until the end of September, seniors aged 55 and older in Seocho-gu can tour the Neutinamu Rest Area facility on Zepeto and send fun action certification shots taken at the Seocho Neutinamu Rest Area. Participants will receive cookies made directly by the rest area’s senior members as a reward.

Moreover, in the virtual Neutinamu Rest Area, a trot mini-concert will be held in October to commemorate Senior Citizens’ Day, and in December, an exhibition of seniors’ artworks will be provided, offering a lifestyle experience in the virtual world.

Along with this, the district is helping seniors understand new concepts like the metaverse in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution and experience the rapidly approaching future. Throughout September, Seocho-gu Neutinamu Rest Area is offering a humanities lecture to aid understanding of the metaverse (education titled ‘Neutinamu Metaverse Journey during Chuseok’), providing online education on the concept and meaning of the metaverse and the types of metaverse in our daily lives.

Additionally, programs are being operated for seniors to experience the virtual space, from creating avatars to visiting the virtual Neutinamu Rest Area.

Hong Eun-pyo (73, Seocho-dong), a senior attending the metaverse education, expressed expectations for the program, saying, “It’s amazing to see an avatar that looks like me moving around the welfare center I used to attend inside my smartphone. Although the controls are not easy yet and it’s a bit frustrating, it’s fascinating, and I look forward to trying it with my grandchildren.”

The district is implementing the ‘Seocho Smart Senior Project’ to help seniors adapt to the IT technology environment. It developed the first kiosk education system among local governments nationwide and provides kiosk education for seniors. The Seocho Smart Senior IT Experience Zone was also established to allow experiences with VR, robots, and one-person media.

Furthermore, through the ‘Senior Informatization Education’ conducted at the Seocho IT Education Center, seniors are being helped to become familiar with the latest IT trends such as augmented reality, the Internet of Things, drones, and coding.

Jo Eun-hee, Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “In the metaverse, people’s gender and age do not matter. If you communicate well with the person you meet, you become good friends. I hope our seniors also feel a world where the scope of communication expands beyond generations as people connect person to person in such virtual spaces.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.