[Courtesy of the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education]
Education authorities in Daegu some 240 kilometers (149 miles) southeast of Seoul said in a statement on October 12 that 10 schools would conduct metaverse-based classes and develop new curriculums based on augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Students would be allowed to explore club activities with avatars.
The metaverse is a digital world that connects physical reality to virtual spaces. Users can have hands-on experiences through VR using their own avatars. Metaverse platforms are widely used in the education sector through super-fast 5G networks. Education authorities in Seoul operate metaverse-based science classes for about 2,100 students to explore a virtual exhibition hall called "Gather Town" with their own avatars.
Due to a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea's educational ministry launched virtual classes in April 2020. Depending on the number of daily infected cases, elementary and middle schools have switched from offline class curriculums to online classes. Various online education platforms have been developed including a multilanguage-learning service for children.
In 2020, Daegu experienced the massive COVID-19 infection of citizens due to Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious organization that was once caught up in a dispute over alleged heresy. Of some 5,200 confirmed cases from Shincheonji, about 4,500 came from Daegu. Shincheonji, established by Lee Man-hee in 1984, has more than 200,000 followers. The religion claims that the Bible is written in metaphors and only its founder could interpret and understand.
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