Yeongcheon City Accelerates 'Green and Smart City' Initiatives from Tree Planting for National Tree Planting Day to AI Startup Competition

Yeongcheon City is pursuing both the creation of an “eco-friendly green city” and “smart administration” by holding a large-scale tree planting event to mark the 81st National Tree Planting Day, as well as launching a start-up competition utilizing public data and AI, which are key to future industries.

On April 2, Yeongcheon City held a “tree planting event” at the Wunjusan Equestrian Training Center to commemorate the 81st National Tree Planting Day.

Yeongcheon City held a large-scale tree planting event to celebrate the 81st Arbor Day. Provided by Yeongcheon City

This event was organized to address climate change and achieve carbon neutrality, and was attended by over 100 city employees, including Yeongcheon Mayor Choi Kimoon.

Participants contributed to expanding green spaces by planting fringe trees and azaleas around the center.

The city expects that, through this event, the equestrian training center—Yeongcheon’s representative horse industry facility—will be reborn as an eco-friendly space where citizens can enjoy both comfortable relaxation and horseback riding experiences.

A city official said, “We hope that the trees planted today will grow into a healthy forest and provide a space for rest and healing for citizens,” adding, “We will do our best to create sustainable forest resources.”

Yeongcheon City is also accelerating digital innovation in administration.

Provided by Yeongcheon City

From April 1 to May 15, Yeongcheon City is accepting applications for the “5th Public Data and AI Utilization Startup Competition 2026.”

This competition, co-hosted by Yeongcheon City and the Gyeongbuk Automotive Embedded Research Institute, aims to discover business models that combine public data and AI technology.

There are two categories for submissions: ▲idea planning and ▲data visualization. Anyone can participate, either individually or in teams of up to four people.

This year, the application of AI technology is mandatory in the idea planning category, with a particular focus on the potential for actual service implementation.

The winners will receive a total of 9 million won in prize money and the Yeongcheon Mayor’s Award, while the top team will earn the right to advance to the finals of the pan-government competition hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Voluntary community service activities also continued in the region.

Ten members of the Yeongcheon City Seobudong Autonomous Disaster Prevention Group (led by Kwon Hogun) are taking a commemorative photo after conducting environmental cleanup activities in the Yujeong Forest area. Provided by Yeongcheon City

On April 2, about 10 members of the Yeongcheon City Seobudong Autonomous Disaster Prevention Group (led by Ho-gun Kwon) carried out environmental cleanup activities around Yujeong Forest.

The members collected household waste left around the forest and conducted a campaign to raise awareness among passersby about preventing illegal dumping of trash.

Seobudong chief Seo Seongho expressed his gratitude to the members for their efforts to create a clean environment, and called for residents’ continued interest.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.