The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s (SMG) Metaverse Seoul was selected by TIME magazine as one of the 200 best inventions of 2022.

TIME magazine selects and introduces innovative inventions every year, and Metaverse Seoul was the only metaverse technology selected in the public sector, standing on a par with innovative inventions of world-class companies.

This year, a total of four inventions were selected by TIME magazine in the metaverse category: “Metaverse Seoul,” the virtual public administration platform of the SMG; “Microsoft Mesh for Teams,” the virtual business communication platform of Microsoft; “Skinetic,” a haptic vest by Actronika that allows users to experience tactile feedback, and “Connected Spaces” by Magnopus, an immersive, cross-device platform that unifies real and virtual worlds.

Metaverse Seoul is not only the first virtual public administration platform implemented by a local government in Korea, but in the entire world. The city started the first phase of Metaverse Seoul this year following the establishment of the comprehensive plan for Metaverse Seoul in October last year.

As the world’s first municipal metaverse for public administration, Metaverse Seoul has received great international attention even before its official launch. Slated to open later this year, the platform is expected to gain greater attention when officially released.

In the first half the year, the city rolled out the beta release of its virtual Seoul City Hall, and then opened Metaverse Seoul as part of this year’s first service phase through a closed beta test in August. The city is now focusing on completing the platform with the goal of open service by the end of November. Following this first phase rollout, Seoul will continue with phases 2 and 3 to gradually upgrade the platform while further enhancing its global status as a leading smart city.