North Gyeongsang Province to Develop a Commercially Viable Video Industry; AI·Metaverse Film Festival Concludes Successfully

【Financial News, Andong = Kim Jang-wook】North Gyeongsang Province plans to fully develop the successfully concluded Gyeongsangbuk-do International AI·Metaverse Film Festival into a commercially viable video industry.
North Gyeongsang Province said the 2026 Gyeongsangbuk-do International AI·Metaverse Film Festival concluded after receiving 3,403 entries from 97 countries worldwide. The festival served as a platform for driving digital innovation and corporate investment in regional industries.
In particular, Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs Hyang Geum-hee held a series of meetings in Gumi and Gyeongsan on the 3rd and 4th with representatives of domestic and international AI, metaverse, and game companies to discuss ways to strengthen the competitiveness of regional industries.
At the export consultation held in Gyeongsan from the 2nd to the 4th with overseas buyers invited, 20 overseas game companies from countries including China and Japan and nine North Gyeongsang game companies participated. The event resulted in 78 export consultations worth approximately 3.2 billion won in total and the signing of five memorandums of understanding (MOUs).
Deputy Governor Yang said, "We will actively reflect the companies' vivid, on-the-ground proposals in provincial policies," adding, "We will make North Gyeongsang Province a hub of digital innovation where AI creators and companies from around the world gather and grow."
The AI Outstanding Companies Meeting held at Gumico on the 3rd was attended by 16 AI companies from Seoul, the greater capital region, and the local area. Korea Education Group, virtual production company Vibe Technology, and global VR game developer Stoic Entertainment participated and showed interest in North Gyeongsang Province's digital policies.
At the North Gyeongsang Game Companies Meeting held at Gyeongsan Indoor Gymnasium on the 4th, 12 local game developers proposed creating an integrated space for game and information technology (IT) convergence, supporting a game academy for training game-industry talent, and establishing a practical incubating space to help local talent settle in the region.
Participating companies agreed that a transition to reduce development costs through the adoption of AI technology is necessary. They also said North Gyeongsang Province's AI·Metaverse Film Festival is serving as a catalyst for the global expansion of the game industry.
Meanwhile, the meetings showed that the festival has established itself as an industry-oriented event producing tangible results by going beyond screenings and linking up with initiatives such as an MOU with TikTok and export consultations with overseas buyers.

[email protected] Kim Jang-wook Reporter