'Community Innovators' Digital Living Lab Frontier 2nd Cohort Launches

Jungjingong Holds Launch Ceremony on Metaverse Platform on the 8th

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] The Small and Medium Business Corporation (Chairman Kim Hak-do, hereinafter referred to as SBC) announced on the 8th that it will hold the 2nd Digital Living Lab Frontier inauguration ceremony on the metaverse platform in collaboration with Gyeongsang National University (President Kwon Soon-gi) and the cooperative Jakun Siseon (CEO Jo Jun-seop).

The Digital Living Lab Frontier is a citizen-participatory social contribution project promoted by SBC together with universities located in Gyeongnam, the region where its headquarters relocated, and social enterprises to improve the living conditions of socioeconomically vulnerable groups. This year marks its second iteration.

The 2nd inauguration ceremony will be held in a non-face-to-face manner by building a virtual venue within the metaverse platform 'Gather Town' to prevent COVID-19 infection and keep up with the trends of the youth carrying out the project.

The 2nd participants will carry out the 'Gyeongnam Barrier-Free Smart City Construction Project' focusing on improving the mobility environment for transportation-vulnerable people. As community innovators, they plan to identify inconvenient barrier points for wheelchair users within Jinju City and seek solutions, sharing the results.

Last year's 1st participants achieved results through the 'Development of Barrier-Free Travel Courses for Transportation-Vulnerable People' project, developing 126 barrier-free points, 10 improvement points, and 12 travel courses for the elderly and disabled. They also produced a barrier-free travel booklet and a mobile web version to give back to the local community.

Kim Byung-soo, Head of Management at SBC, said, "The Digital Living Lab project is a representative social innovation model recognized for contributing to community development, having received the Minister of Health and Welfare Award last November. SBC will continue to promote regional innovation activities in collaboration with local stakeholders and strive to create tangible results that residents can feel."

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