– Smart City Seoul Vision Announced at the Opening Ceremony of the People-Centered ICT Expo ‘Smart Life Week (10.10.~12.)’
– No one is left out by technology, and we put people first… We pledge to create a city where citizens are happy
- 'Mayor's Forum' held with participation of 33 city mayors from around the world, sharing smart city visions, cases, and seeking cooperation methods
– ‘Smart Life Week’ will be developed into a meaningful event that promotes global digital development and cooperation between cities.
□ With the vision of 'Smile in Smart Life', Seoul City is working to create a city where children's laughter never ceases, a city where the elderly can comfortably smile, and a city where everyone can feel safe and comfortable. It is a pledge to create a city where all citizens are happy through future technology that puts people first and where no one is left out by technology.
□ Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced the vision for a smart city, Seoul, at the opening ceremony of the Smart Life Week (SLW), an experiential ICT expo utilizing people-centered technology, which opened at COEX on Thursday the 10th.
□ The “Smart Life Week (SLW)” held for the first time this year will be held until the 12th (Sat) with the slogan “Human-Centric Tech, Connect to a Better Life” with the participation of 72 people including mayors and business officials from 115 cities in 500 countries around the world.
□ The city announced that 'Smart Life Week' will be a new concept exhibition where domestic innovative companies will sell to the world and lead future technology trends as an international platform, where city and business officials from around the world will gather in Seoul to experience the smart city of Seoul.
<No one is left out by technology, and people come first... We pledge to create a city where citizens are happy>
□ In his keynote speech, Mayor Oh revealed Seoul City’s philosophy toward the future of smart cities.
□ First, he introduced smart technology cases in Seoul, such as companion robots, Seoul Run, Wrist Doctor 9988, and self-driving buses, and emphasized that Seoul is a true smart city where cutting-edge digital technology operates dynamically.
□ In addition, Seoul's smart technologies and solutions are currently exported to 43 cities in 78 countries and have won awards including the UN Public Service Award ('24) and the Best City Award at the Barcelona Smart City Expo ('22), and he emphasized that rather than receiving awards, it is important to focus on the direction of technology and make all citizens happy through people-centered future technologies and warm technologies that connect people.
□ He also said that no one should be left out because of technology, and that they are using technology from the perspective of citizens as much as possible so that the socially disadvantaged can enjoy smart life comfortably and conveniently. He also added that accompanying the disadvantaged is the path that smart cities should take and a path that can be taken because they are smart cities.
□ Lastly, he said that at the 'Smart Life Week' where the future that the city dreams of will unfold before our eyes, let's explore together ways to increase the happiness of citizens. He hoped that the Smart Life Week held in Seoul every year would develop into a meaningful event that leads the global digital and AI transition and promotes various cooperation, and announced that Seoul would become an innovation platform for smart cities around the world.
□ Mayor Oh then shared global technology trends with overseas city mayors and domestic and international corporate participants by touring showrooms and corporate exhibition halls exhibiting the technologies of some 150 domestic and international innovative companies under the theme of “The Future of Urban Life Changed by Cutting-edge Technology.”
○ The 'Showroom' is a concept space where 12 domestic and international companies can experience cutting-edge technologies for future urban life under 49 themes: ▴Robots in daily life, ▴Changes in housing, ▴Road innovation, ▴Future of transportation, ▴Welfare on the go, ▴Safe environment, etc.
○ At the 'Corporate Exhibition Hall', you can see the technologies of 4 domestic and international innovative companies in 98 fields: ▴Disabled Transportation, ▴Innovative Technology, ▴Tourism, and ▴Mobility. In particular, 8 domestic companies that won CES Innovation Awards in fields such as beauty and autonomous driving, as well as companies with their own disabled technologies such as the Netherlands (J58) and Germany (Cynteract) participated in the Corporate Exhibition Hall.
<Worldwide 33Participation in the Dog City Market 'Mayers Forum' 개최, Smart City Vision‧Share case‧Seeking cooperation measures>
□ In the afternoon, the 'Mayors Forum' was held to share smart city visions, experiences, and policy cases of cities around the world. The forum on that day was held under the theme of 'Future Smart Cities We Create Together' and was attended by mayors from 33 domestic and international cities.
□ In his welcoming speech at the forum, Mayor Oh said, “The success of a smart city depends on the vision and leadership of the city government,” and “The future of smart cities discussed at today’s forum is about more than simply introducing technology.” He continued, “When cities around the world maintain their originality at the city level, share each other’s experiences and resources, and work together in solidarity at the city level, they can create greater change and a better tomorrow.”
□ The Mayors Forum began with a keynote speech by Mayor Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf of Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), followed by presentations on smart policies and cases by Mayor Maimunah Mohd Sharif of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Deputy Mayor Matthew Hale of Los Angeles (USA). Afterwards, a time was set up for mayors of participating cities to share their opinions on creating smart cities.
○ Mayor Faisal Riyadh said in his keynote speech, “Although global cities have historical and cultural differences, the problems they face are similar in many ways, so we will be able to seek solutions together at today’s forum.” He added, “Digital transformation played a major role in the dynamic transformation of the small city of Riyadh into one of the world’s top 10 economies.” He continued, “Digital technology is not a goal in itself; it has value only when it improves the quality of life of its citizens,” adding that a city can become a smart city only when its government communicates with its citizens and provides them with appropriate information. He also said that in order to make a city sustainable, not only digital technology but also the necessary environment and people-centered policies must be met, and collective efforts are extremely important for this. He concluded by asking for the cities gathered today to find solutions.
○ Mayor Maimunah of Kuala Lumpur introduced the case of Kuala Lumpur under the theme of ‘PEOPLE – CENTERED SMART CITY: EMPOWERING LIVES IN KUALA LUMPUR’. Mayor Maimunah began her presentation by saying that the city is implementing policies that prioritize the welfare of citizens through human-centered technologies that utilize the city’s resources so that all citizens can benefit from smart technologies. She added that they are focusing on inclusiveness where no citizen is left out, and said that they are striving to create a city where all citizens can access smart technologies and benefit from smart cities.
○ LA Deputy Mayor Matthew Hale gave a presentation on the topic of 'Locking Arms to address the digital divide in the city of LA.' "The digital divide is occurring a lot in the vulnerable class, and there are obstacles to providing smart services, such as cost issues, privacy, and digital literacy," he said. He added that in order to resolve this digital divide, the city is making multifaceted efforts, such as providing broadband networks and conducting customized digital literacy education in cooperation with the government, local communities, and NGOs.