SM Lee Soo-man ＂suggested metaverse project as part of Diriyah Gate project＂

SM Lee Soo-man "suggested metaverse project as part of Diriyah Gate project": K-POP / 연합뉴스 / 2022-12-02 14:09:29

▲This photo, provided by SM Ent., shows Lee Soo-man giving a speech at WTTC global summit. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Yonhap) -- Executive producer and founder of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment, Lee Soo Man proposed "building a metaverse museum" as part of Saudi Arabia's Diriyah Gate Project, announced the agency on Friday.

Lee announced his plan as the keynote speaker at the 2022 World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit,which took place at Saudi Arabia on Nov. 30 (local time).

Lee, at the meeting, said, "The construction of future city will be centered on artificial intelligence (AI), metaverse, and drone," adding, "I have recently met with governmental leaders of Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and Mongolia to suggest ideas on the vision and living culture of the future cultural city."

"I proposed ideas on the Diriyah Gate project with the invitation from local developmental authority," adding, "I have suggested 'Diriyah metaverse (museum) project,' in which virtual and reality are mirrored at Diriyah's historical museum, as it has been declared a UNESCO-registered heritage site."

He added, "The plan is to establish virtual metaverse site by mirroring Diriyah, and make virtual museum as simulation by gathering ideas from global prosumers (producer and consumer)," adding, "And then mirror this back to the physical metaverse, the real world."

"Under the interest and participation from all over the world, Diriyah will be the first city in the world to posses museum created by virtual and physical metaverse," he said.

He also said, "With the invitation from governmental authorities in Mongolia, I have proposed an idea on the living culture of the future, and we have positively discussed about establishing 'smart entertainment city' inside Mongolia," adding, "To stop the desertification of Mongolia and help with climate crisis, we plan to hold 'K-pop festival of planting tree.'"

Lee producer emphasized that "Future city needs to put efforts in actualizing sustainability of Earth and in ceasing desertification."

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)

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