• Convergence Security Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.19-24
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• 2022

Metaverse is a compound word of the English words 'meta', meaning 'virtual' and 'transcendence', and 'universe' meaning the universe. dimensional virtual world. Metaverse is a concept that has evolved one step further than virtual reality (VR, a cutting-edge technology that enables people to experience life-like experiences in a virtual world created by a computer). It has the characteristic of being able to engage in social and cultural activities similar to reality. However, there are many security issues related to this, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities may occur. This paper analyzes cybersecurity threats that may occur in the metaverse environment and checks vulnerabilities.

• Journal of the Korea Computer Graphics Society
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

In immersive virtual environments including mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR), avatars or agents, which are virtual humans, are being studied and applied in various ways as factors that increase users' social presence. Recently, studies are being conducted to apply generative AI as an agent to improve user learning effects or suggest a collaborative environment in an immersive virtual environment. This study proposes a novel method for interface application of a virtual assistant agent (VAA) using OpenAI's ChatGPT in an immersive virtual environment including VR and MR. The proposed method consists of an information agent that responds to user queries and a control agent that controls virtual objects and environments according to user needs. We set up a development environment that integrates the Unity 3D engine, OpenAI, and packages and development tools for user participation in MR and VR. Additionally, we set up a workflow that leads from voice input to the creation of a question query to an answer query, or a control request query to a control script. Based on this, MR and VR experience environments were produced, and experiments to confirm the performance of VAA were divided into response time of information agent and accuracy of control agent. It was confirmed that the interface application of the proposed VAA can increase efficiency in simple and repetitive tasks along with user-friendly features. We present a novel direction for the interface application of an immersive virtual environment through the proposed VAA and clarify the discovered problems and limitations so far.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.64-79
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• 2022

The concept of Virtual Character has been developed for a long time with people's demand for cultural and entertainment products such as games, animations, and movies. In recent years, with the rapid development of concepts and industries such as social media, self-media, web3.0, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and Metaverse, Virtual Character has also expanded new derivative concepts such as Virtual Idol, Virtual YouTuber, and Virtual Digital Human. With the development of technology, people's life is gradually moving towards digitalization and virtualization. At the same time, under the global environment of the new crown epidemic, human social activities are rapidly developing in the direction of network society and online society. From the perspective of digital media content, this paper studies the production technology of Virtual Character related products in the Chinese market, and analyzes the future development direction and possibility of the Virtual Character industry in combination with new media development directions and technical production methods. Consider and provide reference for the development of combined applications of digital media content industry, Virtual Character and Metaverse industry.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.120-128
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• 2022

While online social interactions have been more prevalent with the increased popularity of Metaverse platforms, little has been studied the effects of facial expressions in virtual reality (VR), which is known to play a key role in social contexts. To understand the importance of presenting facial expressions of a virtual avatar under different contexts, we conducted a user study with 24 participants where they were asked to have a conversation and play a charades game with an avatar with and without facial expressions. The results show that participants tend to gaze at the face region for the majority of the time when having a conversation or trying to guess emotion-related keywords when playing charades regardless of the presence of facial expressions. Yet, we confirmed that participants prefer to see facial expressions in virtual reality as well as in real-world scenarios as it helps them to better understand the contexts and to have more immersive and focused experiences.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1571-1577
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• 2019

There is a growing interest in psychological counseling and pyschotherapy and many experts are working to help clients more efficiently. Given the many advantages of cyber counseling can be a good alternative to traditional face-to-face counseling. This paper examines the trends of cyber counseling and psychotherapy in South Korea. As a result, when comparing traditional counseling with cyber counseling, cyber counseling had advantages such as high accessibility, convenience, cost reduction effect, and inconvenience in face-to-face counseling. In addition, cyber counseling in South Korea began in the late 1980s, and many studies were conducted for teenagers who are familiar with ICT. Lastly, I briefly researched the current status of cyber counseling and psychotherapy in South Korea. Currently, more active cyber counseling and psychotherapeutic interventions are being carried out using images, AI, and VR. However, because the interdisciplinary approach is somewhat lacking, it is necessary to develop various counseling and psychotherapy programs and verify the effectiveness through the interdisciplinary approach.

• Journal of Korea Society of Digital Industry and Information Management
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.85-101
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• 2021

This study aims to gain insight through understanding the Metaverse, which has recently become a hot topic. The study utilizes the methods of case study and News Bigdata Analysis Services. The Metaverse can be defined as a world with no separation between the virtual and real worlds. Currently, the Metaverse is dominated mainly by the MZ generation, but just like smartphones have quickly entered our lives, the Metaverse will soon, too, become a part of our lives. To follow up on this change, all companies, including global companies, are going after the Metaverse. Today, the Metaverse is successfully being used in all types of fields, including gaming, performing arts, business, etc., and its essential technologies include VR/AR/MR/XR and AI. This study intends to help understand the Metaverse through a case analysis of Zepeto, which has 200 million users worldwide. On Zepeto, users can decorate their own avatars, hang out with friends, go to art galleries and performances, and create and sell items. Of these users, 90% are from outside of South Korea, and 80% are teenagers. With most of the users being underage, many legal and social problems also follow. Nevertheless, who will be the first to conquer the new world of the Metaverse will continue to be a big issue. This study also analyzes domestic news articles about the Metaverse by utilizing the BigKinds system. Starting in 1996, the number of articles about the Metaverse each year remains single digit, until in 2020 when the number sharply rises to 86 news. As of June 2021, there are 1,663 articles on the Metaverse. This study suggests that the Metaverse should now be carefully examined and closely followed.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.229-240
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• 2021

The article seeks to explore Ukrainian media art and its features in a global context. In particular, it performs an in-depth analysis of the stages of its development from video art of the 1990s, media installations of the 2000s, and to various digital and VR technologies today. Due to historical circumstances, the development of media art was quite rapid, as young artists sought to gain new experience in media art. Most often, their experience was broadened through international cooperation and studying abroad. The paper analyzes the presentation of Ukrainian media art outside the country during 1993-2020 and distinguishes the main thematic areas of the artists' work. It examines how artists present and reveal the peculiarities of the Ukrainian worldview, aesthetics, and culture through the problematization of certain aspects and themes in their work. Specifically, among the principal topics which are problematized in the work of media artists are a sensory experience, limited sensory capabilities, gender issues, the Chernobyl tragedy, the development of utopian models of the city, and global communication. The leading themes of Ukrainian artists also include revolution and war. Notably, political and social sentiments determine the unique energy and vitality of contemporary Ukrainian art, create a revolutionary creative environment, and unite media artists in group art projects. It is concluded that by showing, exhibiting, and presenting them outside the country, artists shape the image of Ukrainian art in a global context.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.67-73
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• 2023

Under the influence of COVID-19, as a measure of social distancing for about two years and one month, non-face-to-face services using ICT element technology are expanding not only to the education sector but to all fields. In particular, as educational programs using the Metaverse platform spread to various fields, educators, and learners have more learning experiences using Edutech, but problems through non-face-to-face learning such as reduced immersion or concentration in education are raising In this paper, to overcome the problems raised through non-face-to-face learning and develop metaverse immersive media digital contents to improve the educational environment, we utilize VR (Virtual Reality) based on an immersive metaverse to provide education / Training contents and the educational environment was established. In this paper, we presented a system to increase immersion and concentration in educational contents in a virtual environment using HMD (Head Mounted Display) for learners who are put into military education/training. Immersion was further improved.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.463-468
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• 2022

COVID-19 is a complex disaster, not an infectious disease-level disaster, and it is difficult to respond with the existing disaster response management method. As a result, experiencing psychological stress and trauma such as 'Corona Blue' has emerged as a new social problem. This study examined the changes in non-face-to-face counseling services using ICT technology and the application cases of image, AI, and VR by companies as the transition to the digital economy accelerates. Based on this, disaster psychological recovery support services were considered to improve the psychological recovery and quality of life of the people after a disaster by establishing a more efficient counseling system and developing counseling services using ICT technology.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1345-1352
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• 2023

With the development of virtual reality (VR) and blockchain technology, Metaverse is being used in various fields such as games, education, and social networking. At the same time, shipments of wearable devices such as smartwatches are growing every year, becoming more and more integrated into people's daily lives. This study presents a new possibility of reflecting the user's body signals measured through the combination of the two phenomena in the metaverse character. Various biometric information such as the user's heart rate and amount of exercise collected through the smartwatch are reflected on the character in the metaverse, allowing the user's physical condition to be reflected in the virtual world. Through this, Metaverse is expected to provide a new experience that can be called 'extended reality' beyond simple virtual reality, improve user's satisfaction with Metaverse, and suggest a direction for the development of smartwatches.