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| KOICA Square provides a birds-eye view of KOICA World / Courtesy of KOICA |
By Kang Seung-woo
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has opened KOICA World, an interactive metaverse space that allows users to experience virtually and learn about development cooperation projects around the world, it said, Wednesday.
KOICA World is a virtual space created on Naver's metaverse platform, ZEP, which features information on the state-run overseas aid agency's projects and sustainable development goals (SDGs) in an entertaining and innovative way.
As communication in the virtual world has become more active among millennials and Generation Z following the reduction of in-person meetings and movement due to COVID-19, KOICA has responded by creating a metaverse space for better communication with Korean and foreign nationals.
KOICA World reflects ideas presented by KOICA's group of global supporters, WeKO, comprised of 31 foreign nationals from 24 countries and 99 Korean nationals. KOICA World includes five sections: KOICA Square, KOICA Office, SDGs Island, ODA Hospital and ODA School.
KOICA Square is the first space that users encounter upon entry into KOICA World. It provides users with an overall view of the metaverse space. KOICA Office, which has recreated KOICA's Seongnam headquarters, offers information and news on KOICA's current projects. SDGs Island embodies the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. ODA Hospital and ODA School respectively offer details on KOICA's health and medical projects as well as COVID-19 response efforts, along with the agency's education and digital projects.
Users can move around the different spaces and participate in events such as a treasure hunt and picture games. Users can also invite friends to the metaverse space and chat with each other. KOICA World hopes to become a platform for interaction and the sharing of Korea's development cooperation activities.
"We planned this metaverse space to allow Korean and global citizens to experience ODA, which can be a difficult and unfamiliar concept, in an engaging way," said KOICA's Director General of Media and Public Relations Park Sang-jin. "KOICA World is not a one-time event but will actively feature in WeKO's offline promotional activities in November, allowing for on-offline integration. KOICA and WeKO will utilize the platform in various ways going forward."
"It was amazing to see our ideas, the product of many discussions among our teammates, realized in the metaverse," said Lee Hwan-ho (24), a member of WeKO's fourth generation. "It is meaningful that through our ideas, we can promote Korea's ODA and KOICA throughout the world."
Additionally, KOICA World is also being used as a platform for communication among KOICA's staff and executives. On Thursday the agency held a town hall meeting between President Sohn Hyuk-sang and its staff simultaneously in the metaverse, through KOICA World.
KOICA looks forward to its staff from the headquarters in Korea and overseas offices freely discussing improvements to its organizational culture through the interactive space.
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