• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aims to examine the opportunities in the food industry in the context of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse. The metaverse expands offline experiences into a virtual space and provides users with the advantage of overcoming the limitations of physical space. Research design, data and methodology: With the development of various contents based on advanced technology, the metaverse is becoming popular among the MZ generation (comprising millennials and Gen Zs), who are skilled at navigating digital platforms. Moreover, the previously entertainment game focused service has expanded to the business field after COVID-19; activities on the metaverse are now making space for economic value creation. I examined the recent global trends in the context of NFTs and the metaverse as well as the existing cases in Korea. Results: Globally, gaming and performance platforms such as Roblox, Fortnite etc. are still concentrated in the entertainment industry. However, as shown by ZEPETO and ifland in Korea there are many opportunities in the retail and food industries. Conclusions: We analyzed the ecosystems of the retail and food and beverage sectors, where the metaverse will be useful in the future, and have suggested the implications of the opportunities provided by the metaverse.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.560-576
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• 2023

Drawing on gamification affordance theory, this study examines the relationships among key affordances of avatar fashion styling, perceived enjoyment, and engagement behavior intentions-defined as the intention to share content on avatars in the metaverse platform-and the moderating role of metaverse familiarity. Based on survey data collected from 198 Korean ZEPETO users with avatar fashion styling experience, the hereby proposed research model was tested with structural equation modeling. The results demonstrated that self-expression and competition positively influenced perceived enjoyment, which subsequently affected customers' engagement behavior intention. Furthermore, metaverse familiarity as a moderating effect intensified the positive association between affordances and perceived enjoyment as well as between perceived enjoyment and engagement behavior intentions. The individual interaction effect of each affordance dimension on perceived enjoyment was different, with self-expression having a greater influence on enjoyment among the high-familiarity group and competition having a greater influence on enjoyment among the low-familiarity group. Considering that users with low metaverse familiarity might have higher needs for social interaction for adaptation, competition, being more socially triggering, might have affected these users more crucially.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.53-68
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• 2023

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for non-face-to-face communication systems has surged, leading to an increased prevalence of virtual interactions across various domains, such as tasks, meetings, orders and deliveries, and even student education. Against this backdrop, interest in the metaverse platform has been on the rise, with metaverse services like Zepeto, Roblox, and Minecraft expanding beyond gaming to encompass educational fields as well. This study aims to identify authenticity factors influencing metaverse platform-based educational services and examine their impact. The authenticity components are defined as integrity, empathy, interactivity, presence, and uniqueness. The study investigates the effects of these authenticity components on both service value and service satisfaction. To achieve this, a survey involving 320 metaverse users was conducted, and the model was subjected to statistical validation. The findings of this research underscore that perceiving metaverse education services, still in the early stages of introduction, as authentic educational methods for learners positively influences satisfaction with the educational service.This study holds significance as it lays the theoretical groundwork for enhancing the authenticity of educational services in virtual space. It defines and proposes authenticity elements for customer satisfaction in metaverse educational services, which are still in their nascent stages. Moving forward, it is anticipated that various studies will be conducted to enhance the value of metaverse education services and achieve higher customer satisfaction as customer experiences evolve and deepen.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.44-54
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• 2023

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the implications of the metaverse on the music industry, focusing on copyright issues and potential solutions. It delves into the concept and characteristics of metaverse platforms, describing them as environments that immerse users in a variety of virtual experiences. A significant portion of the paper is dedicated to exploring music use and copyright infringement in the metaverse. It examines how users incorporate existing music into their content, often leading to legal challenges due to copyright infringement. The paper discusses the role of online service providers (OSPs) in this context and the legal implications of their actions. The paper also addresses the 'safe harbor' provisions for OSPs and examines the balance between protecting rights holders and limiting OSP liability. It highlights the challenges and limitations of copyright enforcement in the metaverse, especially given the unique nature of content on platforms such as Roblox. Finally, the article proposes solutions to simplify music licensing in the metaverse, suggesting a shift from property rules to liability rules and the establishment of Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) to streamline the licensing process and better protect copyright holders' interests.

• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.259-284
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• 2023

This study examined the primary features of cultural program operation instances on the metaverse platform. In addition, an interview was performed with librarians in charge of the public library culture program to get their perspectives on the viability of using the metaverse platform for each sort of cultural program. Ultimately, we intended to provide guidelines for organizing and administering a cultural program on the metaverse platform in a public library. The results showed that there are seven types of cultural programs using the Metaverse platform: library tours, education, reading, exhibits, performances, games, and events. librarians in charge of the public library culture program responded positively to the future use of library tours, exhibitions, games, and events. Education can be used depending on the character of the educational program while reading and performances are less likely to be used in the future. Regarding how to use the Metaverse platform, Zepeto was most likely to be used for tours, and Gather and Zep for education, exhibits, games, and events.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.418-430
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• 2022

This study aims to analyze consumers' purchase decision-making process of buying avatar fashion items on the Metaverse platform. Drawing on the connection between the self-expression tendency of the MZ generation and that of avatars in the Metaverse, this study uses a qualitative research method to analyze how consumers express their self-image through the appearance of their avatars. Unlike previous studies on the clothing purchase decision-making process, this study shows that purchasing and consumption behavior involve the following six stages: recognizing desire, collecting information, evaluating alternatives, making purchases, evaluating the consumption, and post-purchase action-taking. In the first stage of the purchase decision-making process, consumers' desire arises with self-image expression and confirmation. In the second stage, consumers have a high tendency to shop in the best item category. In the alternative evaluation stage, consumers tend to seek items that match their highest standard while considering their personal preferences. In the fourth stage, when making actual purchases, unplanned purchase behavior often occurs along with an active practice of alternative evaluation. In the fifth stage, the evaluation of the consumption shows that consumers achieve satisfaction by applying a style to their avatars that they are unable to try in the real world. In the last stage, consumers often use their purchases to communicate their various styles with other online consumers. Therefore, we conclude that the online purchase decision-making process differs from the offline process as it is divided into six stages.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.97-117
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the factors affecting the intention to continue using the metaverse platform service from the user's point of view. Methods: The study conducted a survey of experienced people using Zepeto, Ifland, Gather Town, Zep, Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft, which are virtual world types among metaverse types, and valid 415 data were analyzed by SPSS (ver 22.0) and R (ver 4.1.0) program packages. Results: As a result of empirical analysis, it was found that interactivity and social presence among the characteristics of metaverse affected expectation confirmation, and sensory affordance and functional affordance affected expectation confirmation as affordance factors. In addition, all four characteristics of metaverse, reliability, playfulness, interactivity, and social presence, were found to have the greatest affect on perceived usefulness, and it was analyzed that playfulness, social presence, and reliability were influenced in order. The affordance factor was also found to have a positive effect on physical affordance, sensory affordance, and functional affordance. This study was found that it had a positive effect on the relationship between expectation confirmation and satisfaction and the relationship between perceived usefulness and satisfaction. satisfaction was analyzed to lead to continuance intention. Conclusion: This study is meaningful in that it examines the perspective of users who can be called customers of metaverse platform services. Based on the results of this study, it is expected to have a significant effect on the development of metaverse platform services not only on platform operators that provide metaverse platform services but also on providers who plan events and education using metaverse platform services.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.75-93
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• 2023

The game industry has grown not only by combining them with various technologies also introducing new types of business models such as P2P, F2P, and P2W. Furthermore, games which implemented X2E model with blockchain technology are recently in the spotlight of the public attention. As domestic game companies have also prospect the blockchain games feasible, they are seeking ways to expand their global market share by strengthening the X2E model. Hence, by carrying this new business model out, it is expected to diversify their global revenue stream, which was previously confined to Asia region. This study analyzed the case of companies that have implemented the P2E and C2E models in order to suggest the direction of development for the game platform in Web 3.0 era. The cases of P2E game platform, which constitute of Axie Infinity and Mir 4, encompass the compensation structure, the stabilization mechanism of the in-game token economy, and future strategies regarding blockchain gaming. Likewise, the platform structure, business model, and future growth potential was discussed in terms of C2E scheme, focusing on the ZEPETO and Roblox cases. Based on the above case analysis, this study attempted to provide information on the current limitations and development directions of the P2E and C2E platforms. The current limitations in legal and industrial aspects should be addressed to facilitate the blooming of blockchain and P2E game industry. In addition, the necessity of not only social support also improvement on the technology and social stigma of full-time creators is ought to be emphasized in an effort to encourage the development of C2E platforms.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.891-906
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• 2023

The essence of fashion brands' marketing with metaverse-based virtual spaces is to capture more potential consumers and boost the sales of companies' virtual and physical products. However, existing research has not fully addressed customer responses and behavioral outcomes regarding fashion virtual brand spaces. This study uses flow theory to address this gap and explores the factors that lead to the flow experience in virtual brand spaces. It also establishes the causal relationships between the flow experience, satisfaction with virtual spaces, the intention to purchase virtual products, and the intention to purchase actual products. We chose "Ralph Lauren World" of Ralph Lauren on Zepeto as the virtual brand space for this study and analyzed 239 valid data sets. We tested the hypotheses using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping for the mediation analyses. The findings indicate that the flow experience in virtual brand spaces positively and indirectly affects the purchase intention of virtual products via satisfaction with virtual brand spaces. In addition, virtual space satisfaction had an indirect, positive effect on actual product purchase intention through virtual product purchase intention. The research emphasizes that the purchase intention of virtual and actual products has a positive causal relationship.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.187-195
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• 2022

Recently, with interest in metaverse, attempts are being made to utilize the metaverse platform in various forms. In this paper, we focused on the educational application potential of metaverse, and developed and applied a metaverse STEAM program to provide an effective learning experience to learners in non-face-to-face educational situations. The developed program utilizes Minecraft and ZEPETO, familiar to students, as metaverse learning platforms, and consists of a total of 16 lessons of 5 modules in the form of modules so that alternative classes can take place in the educational field. Through this, the learner's change in STEAM attitude and learning satisfaction were measured, and through the developed STEAM program, the learner's interest, consideration, communication, usefulness, self-concept, self-efficacy, and career choice areas significantly increased. In addition, positive results were confirmed in all areas of the learner satisfaction test related to satisfaction, interest, and overall class. In the future, considering the characteristics of the metaverse, it is necessary to break free from the constraints of time and space to communicate anew, and various learner-centered educational approaches based on a high degree of freedom and immersion should be implemented.