SEOUL-- The metaverse unit of South Korean internet portal giant Naver Corp. has partnered with Thai communications conglomerate True Corp. to build a global metaverse hub for Thai content creators.

Naver Z Corp., which operates the popular South Korean metaverse platform Zepeto, said it signed a memorandum of understanding with True on Wednesday in Bangkok for their strategic partnership to nurture the metaverse ecosystem for Thai creators on the service.

According to Naver Z, there are more than 500,000 users in Thailand actively working as creators on Zepeto, with K-pop related content being one of the most popular content categories in the country.

Naver Z said Thai singer Lisa of popular K-pop group BLACKPINK recently hosted a virtual fan event on Zepeto as part of Italian luxury brand Bvlgari. The company said more than 13 million BLACKPINK-related virtual items had been sold on the platform as of end of August.

"Through this partnership, we intend to lead Thailand into the metaverse by integrating True's vast digital ecosystem with Naver Z's metaverse expertise," Birathon Kasemsri, chief content and media officer at True, said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency