SM Entertainment signs MOU with KAIST for 'metaverse' research

From left, KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung, SM Entertainment founder/producer Lee Soo-man and SM CEO Lee Sung-su pose during a MOU signing ceremony at the KAIST campus in Daejeon, Wednesday. Courtesy of SM Entertainment

By Dong Sun-hwa

K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment has inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) to conduct an in-depth research into the "metaverse," a portmanteau of the prefix "meta" ― meaning beyond ― and "universe," referring to a shared virtual space where users interact via digital avatars.

SM and KAIST, one of the most prestigious science and technology universities in Korea, are set to cooperate in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and culture technology, among many others. The two will also coproduce digital avatars.

On Wednesday, SM's founder/producer Lee Soo-man and CEO Lee Sung-su took part in the MOU-signing ceremony with KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung at the university's campus in Daejeon.

"I hope the combination of SM's cultural imagination and KAIST's technological prowess would bear fruitful results, contributing to the growth of the entertainment and engineering technology industry," Lee Kwang-hyung said during the event.

After the ceremony, Lee Soo-man ― one of the trailblazers in the K-pop industry whose company gave birth to a plethora of big-name stars like Girls' Generation, EXO and NCT ― delivered a special lecture to KAIST students.

SM Entertainment founder/producer Lee Soo-man speaks during a special lecture at KAIST campus in Daejeon, Wednesday. Courtesy of SM Entertainment

"Since the establishment of SM in 1989, my motto has always been, 'Culture first, Economy next,'" he said. "I have been striving to make hallyu (Korean Wave) a persistent global phenomenon that can help accumulate national wealth."

He added that the future of the entertainment industry will center on celebrities and robots.

"I believe digital avatars have ushered in the era of the robots. In the case of SM, we already debuted aespa last year," he said, referring to the girl group he launched last November, which consists of four human members and their virtual avatars.

"We dream of creating the SM Culture Universe, where different stories will be recounted through cartoons, animations, webtoons, motion graphics, avatars and novels."

The founder wrapped up the session by stressing the need for more "culture scientists."

"Culture and science should join forces to create content that goes beyond our imagination," he said. "So I believe music producers of the future have to be culture scientists and I expect to see many pioneers from SM and KAIST."

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