South Korea XR Stuns the World: From Digital Healing to AI Collaboration, Unveiling Eight Pioneers of Future Digital Life

As XR (Extended Reality) and metaverse waves sweep the globe, an innovation hub rising in Asia demands attention—South Korea. At the recent "XR・Metaverse Comprehensive Exhibition 2025," the "K-Digital Contents Pavilion" from South Korea gathered eight companies that not only showcased stunning cutting-edge technologies but also painted a picture of an imaginative future digital life. How are these innovators, supported by Korea's government agency NIPA (National IT Industry Promotion Agency), changing our world? Let's explore.

Background of Korea's XR Boom and NIPA's Role

In today's rapidly evolving tech landscape, XR and the metaverse have become global focal points. Japan's "XR・Metaverse Comprehensive Exhibition 2025" attracted numerous exhibitors, with the "K-Digital Contents Pavilion" led by Korea's government agency NIPA (National IT Industry Promotion Agency) particularly standing out. As Korea's exclusive promotion agency for virtual/convergence industries, NIPA is tasked with advancing metaverse development and supporting companies' global expansion. The eight Korean companies exhibiting are undoubtedly future stars carefully selected by NIPA, each showcasing unique solutions that demonstrate Korea's strength in digital content.

Core Technologies and Innovative Applications

1. DoubleMe: XR Meditation, Mind-Body Unity Through Digital Healing

Imagine opening your eyes to enter a tranquil virtual space where all stress dissipates in the fusion of reality and virtual. DoubleMe's "Dimension" is exactly such a product, using AI and XR technology through Meta Quest 3 devices to provide unique stress relief and focus enhancement in MR (Mixed Reality) environments. Unlike traditional closed-eye meditation, "Dimension" encourages users to adjust body and mind in an open visual field. This technology has been used at Samsung Seoul Hospital in Korea for tinnitus treatment and stress relief, and even applied in private jets and other enclosed spaces to provide solace for travelers.

Company website: https://www.doubleme.me/ja

2. MillennialsWorks: AI Character Photo Booth, Personalized Entertainment Experience

Photo booths hold countless youthful memories, and MillennialsWorks has brought them into the AI era. Their "Ani Moment" machine lets users choose AI-generated styles, instantly transforming their photos into unique AI characters and printing them out. Previously, virtual character promotion was reserved for giants, but now MillennialsWorks makes personalized AI avatars accessible to everyone at low prices with simple operation. Through device lightweighting and deep research into Japanese user preferences, this product has successfully entered the market and plans to expand across Asia.

Company website: https://millennialsworks.com/en/sub/index.php

3. NEWJAK: Family-Shared Immersive XR Sports Gaming

Physically engaging in digital games, sweating it out with family—this is the charm of NEWJAK's "Location XR Sports Games." This multi-player interactive XR sports game lets players deeply merge with virtual scenarios in physical space without wearing complex devices. At permanent installations in Korea's Lotte Shopping Centers, it has become a popular family activity, attracting tens of thousands of visitors. Additionally, it's been introduced to beachfront resort hotels in Sokcho, Korea, perfectly combining tourism with XR entertainment, promising to become a new highlight attracting international visitors.

Company website: https://www.newjak.net/

4. Sharebox: Immersive Interactive Space Without Wearables

No need to wear any devices—simply stand in a designated area, and walls, floors, even the entire space interact with you. Sharebox's multi-sensor XR interactive system is exactly this kind of "magic." Using LiDAR sensors and Kinect cameras, it projects interactive images into the environment and responds in real-time to human movements. From immersive retail experiences to displays at major international conferences, Sharebox's solutions are widely applied. They also actively seek partnerships with Japanese companies, hoping to combine strengths from both countries to create greater synergy.

Company website: http://www.ssharebox.com/eng/home/

5. BRAINDECK: New Paradigm for AI-Human Music Co-Creation

Amid the generative AI boom, music copyright issues draw attention. BRAINDECK's AI music generation solution "Lucy 7" takes a unique path—its AI model doesn't mimic existing sound sources but "expands human knowledge," acting as an "AI teacher" for composers or users. BRAINDECK emphasizes their goal is enabling humans to create using AI, not letting AI create independently. This tool supports multiple languages and music styles, making it easy for non-professionals while allowing professionals fine control, even training AI to sing in their own voice.

Company website:
https://www.braindeck.net/

6. 3i: Build Real-Time Digital Twins in 5 Minutes, Boost Operational Efficiency

Facing challenges like aging infrastructure, labor shortages, and information delays, 3i's "K-SPATIAL AI" provides an efficient solution. This "indoor Google Street View" digital twin technology requires just a few minutes of shooting with smartphones and 360-degree cameras to generate 3D views of indoor spaces like factories and underground pipes in 5 minutes, uploading to the cloud for global real-time viewing. It solves traditional information-sharing difficulties and can link drawings, documents, and other information to 3D spaces. Successful applications in Samsung's major construction projects and partnerships with NTT demonstrate its huge potential for improving management efficiency.

Company website: https://www.3i.ai/

7. BIBIMBLE: Conversational AI Digital Humans, Reshaping Business and Social Interaction

BIBIMBLE's AI digital human solution "AIDEX EX-001" aims to enhance business decision efficiency and customer interaction through natural language dialogue. This "talking AI" supports over 30 languages, with customizable appearance and voice, deployable on websites, digital signage, and even medical institutions. At the exhibition, AI digital humans demonstrated powerful real-time interaction capabilities, including recognizing visitor information, intelligent dialogue, and even automatically generating sales proposals and sending them. In an increasingly aging society, such AI can not only fill labor gaps but provide friendlier, more humanized services for the elderly, easing their digital divide anxiety.

Company website: https://bibimble.com/

8. XROMEDA: Empowering Creators, Building High-Return VR Fan Economy

Company website: https://xromeda.com/xrfair-tokyo-jp

XROMEDA is dedicated to building a VR fan economy platform for next-generation creators, with the core idea of giving creators freer creative space and richer returns. Compared to traditional platforms' high 30-40% commissions, XROMEDA charges only 9.9%, ensuring creators earn more. The platform supports various creative forms including video and images, and provides professional VR content production support, helping artists and performers bring their work into VR worlds. Over 40% of its users are overseas, with particularly active performance in the Japanese market, signaling that a new era of VR content creation and distribution has arrived.

Drivers of Korea's XR Development and Future Trends

The booming development of Korea's XR industry is no accident. First, strategic support from government agency NIPA provides fertile ground for innovation and momentum for international markets. Second, these companies demonstrate diverse technological innovation and business models, from digital healing to entertainment interaction, from industrial management to artistic creation, covering broad social needs. They unanimously focus on solving real problems and improving user experience, striving to make XR technology truly serve people. Finally, Korean companies generally maintain open attitudes toward international cooperation, actively seeking synergistic development with global partners, which will undoubtedly accelerate the global proliferation of their technologies and applications.

Conclusion: Korea XR, Igniting Infinite Possibilities in the Digital World

From the cases of these eight companies, we see Korea's exciting innovative vitality in XR, metaverse, and AI. They've not only achieved breakthroughs at the technological level but also demonstrated infinite possibilities at the application level. From mind-body healing digital meditation to AI personalization accessible to all; from family-shared immersive sports to wearable-free interactive spaces; from AI-human music co-creation to 5-minute digital twin construction; from intelligent conversational AI digital humans to high-return VR fan economies—Korea's XR forces are comprehensively igniting infinite potential in the digital world. This technological transformation deserves our continued attention and participation as we welcome a smarter, more immersive, and more humanized future digital life together.