SM chairman proposes ‘metaverse museum’ as part of Diriyah Gate Project

Lee Soo-man, founder and chairman of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment, proposed the building of “a metaverse museum” as part of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing Diriyah Gate Project, the agency said Friday.

Lee made the remark during an appearance at the 2022 World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit in Riyadh as a keynote speaker on Wednesday.

“The construction of the future city will be centered on artificial intelligence, the metaverse and drones,” Lee said. “I recently suggested ideas on the vision of future cultural cities and life after meeting with governmental leaders of Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Mongolia.”

He “proposed the ideas after getting an invitation from Saudi Arabia’s developmental authorities,” especially the “Diriyah Metaverse (Museum) Project” which proposes turning the town into a metaverse site, as it has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2010, and mirroring its historical museum with virtual reality.

“With help and support from the global society, Diriyah will become a city that possesses the world’s first virtual and physical metaverse museum,” Lee said.

Lee added that he had in-depth talks with governmental authorities in Mongolia, proposing ideas to build a “smart entertainment city” inside the country.

“To prevent Mongolia’s desertification and solve climate crises, we plan to hold a ‘tree-planting K-pop festival,’” Lee said.

Lee founded SM Entertainment in 1989, which has produced many K-pop stars such as singer BoA, boy bands Exo and NCT and girl groups Red Velvet and aespa.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]