SM Entertainment to start fan community service through 'Kwangya'

Metaverse image of SM Town [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

SM Entertainment will start a fan community service through its metaverse brand “Kwangya,” according to the agency Thursday.

“Kwangya Club,” the first service the brand will offer, is a membership-based fan community.

Starting with artists under SM, the service will expand the fan community to include other K-pop artists and celebrities.

The service offers two types of memberships: The Basic membership is free of charge and users can subscribe to the service anytime, while the Ace membership is a paid service which accepts members annually. However, the latter is said to receive additional benefits.

After holding a two-month test run starting next month, the service will officially launch in September.

The agency is receiving Ace membership requests for its artists NCT Dream and aespa through its social media channels. More information related to the service can be found on SM Town’s website (smtown.com).

Starting with Kwangya Club, the agency plans to expand the Kwangya brand through establishing a metaverse country titled “Music Nation SMTown,” where it will “present a variety of futuristic businesses such as granting users digital citizenship within the country,” SM said in a statement.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]