[Courtesy of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries]
Minecraft is an open-world exploring game for PC and consoles. More than 200 million copies were sold worldwide as of 2020. To commemorate Children's Day in May 2020, South Korean President Moon Jae-in invited elementary school students to visit the presidential office through Minecraft. Children invited to the virtual space followed the president to look around the main building and visit his office.
The metaverse is a simulated digital world platform that offers firsthand experiences to users, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space. Metaverse platforms that are widely used in South Korea are mainly based on super-fast 5G networks and optical internet cable networks. South Korea's online giant Naver has gained more than 200 million users through its avatar platform Zepeto.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said in a statement on October 15 that a metaverse game called "Port-Craft" will be released to provide a virtual tour of a smart port. Through the game, users can explore the next-generation port to visit smart yards and other top-notch technology-based facilities. To attract more users, the maritime ministry will hold special events such as quizzes and giveaway prize events.
A smart port is a future port system using advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the performance of seaports. South Korea is pushing to digitally transform seaports into smart ports with automated facilities by 2030. According to Markets and Markets, an international market research company, South Korea's smart port market is projected to stand at 400 billion won ($257 million) by 2024.