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The governments of 23 countries have submitted requests in an international effort to promote adoption of the South Korean “smart city” model. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced on Apr. 1 that government and public institutions in 23 countries had submitted a total of 80 requests for the “K-City Network” support program for Korea’s smart city technology.

A total of 31 submissions for smart city technology support for urban development were made by 17 countries, including Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines in the category of “new city” development; Australia and India in the category of railway station area development; Russia and Turkey in the category of industrial complex development; Laos in the category of smart city development road map formulation; and Peru in the category of airport relocation site development. Nineteen countries were involved in 46 individual projects including the adoption of AI-based transportation systems, e-government and data center establishment, water and sewage management, and waste disposal.

First proposed at the Korea-ASEAN Smart City Ministerial Meeting in Busan last November, the K-City Network is being viewed by MOLIT as a means of cooperation not only with ASEAN but also with countries comprising South Korea’s “new northern” policy (China and Central Asia), as well as Central and South America. MOLIT plans to collect feedback from ministries that work with overseas government offices on areas such as current intergovernmental cooperation, project prospects, and the potential for collaboration with South Korean businesses. MOLIT will then hold a meeting of an assessment committee consisting of internal and outside experts before making a selection on Apr. 20 of around 10 countries to receive support.

“These requests showed that overseas demand for the South Korean smart city model is very high,” said Lee Sang-ju, who heads MOLIT’s urban policy division.

“We plan to share the submitted projects not just with the related railway, road, and airport offices within the ministry but at the pan-government level and take advantage actively on this opportunity for South Korean smart city exportation,” Lee said.

By Kim Tae-gyu, staff reporter

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