> The ‘Metaverse KSI Campus’ opened and began its trial on November 25 (Fri), with the official launch planned for 2023.
> Students learning Korean from all over the world can use avatars to meet each other in real-time in virtual spaces, such as the KSI campus or Hangang Park, to have conversations in Korean.

KSIF opened and started the trial of its 'Metaverse (Expanded Virtual World) KSI Campus (ksif.zep.site)' on November 25 (Friday), where students studying Korean from all over the world can communicate in Korean at any time in virtual spaces that mimic the real world. The service is expecting its official launch in 2023.

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Foundation created the ‘Metaverse (Expanded Virtual World) KSI Campus’ where its students from all over the world can meet and talk with each other and learn the Korean language and culture without the constraints of time and space. These virtual spaces include not only the KSI campus, but also other tourists sites in Korea, including Hangang Park, Gwangjang Market, Dongdaemun, and the Seowon Village. The Foundation built its metaverse KSI campus on ZEP, a 2D-based metaverse platform so that students living in countries and regions with poor network facilities can easily access virtual spaces.

Using their avatars, students can chat with each other wherever they are, as well as use cameras and microphones to see each other’s faces and communicate in Korea as much as they want in the metaverse spaces. In addition, the AI installed in each of the virtual spaces enables the students to practice theme-specific Korean conversations tailored to their choice of virtual space, such as conversations about exercise at Hangang Park or conversations about shopping at Dongdaemun.

Rahee, a student who accessed the service from Osi, Kyrgyzstan, met with Joohyuk, who was joining on his way to work in Vietnam, and Bora, a Belarusian living in Gangneung, at the metaverse KSI campus, where the three communicated in Korean. Mr. Turtle, who lives in Asuncion, Paraguay, enjoyed a fusion Korean music performance at the outdoor performance hall of the metaverse KSI campus and left a message in the group chat room saying, “I look forward to more events like this in the future.”

Above all, the classes offered in the metaverse KSI campus allow students to engage in some intensive practice with Korean conversations. The Foundation has been running a trial version of the ‘metaverse Korean speaking class’ based on the ‘Sejong Korean Conversion’ classes that are offered at offline KSI locations. A total of 552 students are currently enrolled in the course. The 'Metaverse Korean Speaking Class' and the ‘Metaverse KSI Campus’ have been offered exclusively to students with an intermediate or higher level of Korean, who wish to focus on improving their Korean speaking skills.

Once the trial period is over, the Foundation plans to add content on Korean culture for international students who are interested in Korean culture. This content will allow students to get a realistic experience of different aspects of Korean culture, including the delivery culture and the jjimjilbang (Korean sauna) culture through 360˚ virtual reality videos. Some other contents that will be added include an escape room game, which is currently being offered on a trial basis, a Korean traditional music rhythm game, as well as Yutnori.

Entrance to the metaverse KSI campus.

Students waiting to enter the metaverse Korean speaking class.