Israel announces metaverse embassy in South Korea

Israel’s diplomatic mission in South Korea has unveiled a diplomatic mission in the metaverse.

Israel’s virtual complex includes meeting rooms as well as an exhibition on the history of Israel-South Korea relations. It will ultimately expand to include cultural offerings such as Hebrew and Korean language study groups, Israeli film festivals and more, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release today. 

“This is an initiative that illustrates Israeli innovation in such an important arena as South Korea,” Israel’s Ambassador in Seoul Akiva Tor said. 

Israel has an app for its South Korean metaverse that launched last month. 

What is it: The metaverse refers to a digital world that can be accessed via computers and smartphones on the internet. 

Al-Monitor “visited” the virtual mission today via the Apple Store. The app first makes you create an avatar. There are a variety of male and female avatars to choose from, some bearing resemblance to Israelis, others to Koreans. After making the avatar, users can enter the metaverse’s pavilion. The exhibit on Israel-South Korea relations appeared to not be complete at the time of the visit. 

Why it matters: Israel is not the first Middle Eastern state to enter the metaverse. Earlier this month, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates launched a metaverse office. In September, the UAE Ministry of Economy opened a digital office.