Land Ministry to Develop AI and Data-Based Smart Cities in Five Locations Including Suwon, Busan, and Seongnam

Announcement of Smart City Project Selection Results

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on June 12 that it has selected a total of five local governments, including Suwon-si in Gyeonggi Province, as the final candidates for the "2026 Smart City Development and Data Hub Pilot Solution Discovery Project," which aims to address urban issues using artificial intelligence (AI) and data technology.

Suwon-si was chosen as the "base-type smart city," which will serve as a hub for nationwide expansion. Busan Metropolitan City and Seongnam-si in Gyeonggi Province were selected as "smart city specialized complexes," which focus on research and development of region-specific technologies. Gyeongsangnam-do and Taean-gun in Chungcheongnam-do were named for the "data hub pilot solution discovery project," which collects and analyzes real-time urban data.

Conceptual Diagram of the Base-type Smart City Development Project in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

Suwon-si, selected as the base-type city, will receive up to 16 billion won in national funding over three years. With a 1:1 matching of local funds, the total project size will amount to 32.85 billion won. Suwon-si plans to introduce citizen-oriented services such as car-sharing, parking robots, robot delivery, and patrol robots, and will also establish a joint demonstration center to support corporate proof-of-concept projects.

Busan and Seongnam, chosen as specialized complexes, will each receive up to 8 billion won in national funding over three years. Busan will transform the Centum City area of Haeundae-gu into an open AI urban demonstration platform, focusing on integrated city control and safety management pilots. The city also plans to de-identify and structure collected urban data, enabling companies to use it for service development and demonstration.

Seongnam will create a specialized complex centered around Pangyo Techno Valley and Bundang Seoul National University Hospital that combines healthcare for seniors with future mobility solutions. Core initiatives include data-based chronic disease management, AI-based monitoring of daily living abilities, autonomous shuttle services, and remote-driving mobility support.

The Data Hub Pilot Solution Project aims to identify services that can be applied to other regions by utilizing data hubs established at the metropolitan level. Gyeongsangnam-do plans to connect tourism, floating population, festival, and commercial district data to analyze tourist movement, stay, and consumption trends, and to establish customized tourism services and administrative support systems. Taean will use marine and weather data to detect risks such as drowning or isolation along the coast at an early stage and will develop the "Taean Safe Sea" safety management solution, which enables the control center, emergency services (119), and maritime police to respond immediately. Both regions will receive up to 1 billion won in national funding for one year.

2026 Smart City Support Project Contest Selection Results. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Detailed business plans for each local government selected in this competition will be available on the Smart City Comprehensive Portal starting June 15.

Lee Kibong, Director General for Urban Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, commented, "The true completion of a smart city is not just about building impressive infrastructure, but about local governments taking the lead and responsibly operating these projects through to the end. The government will also remain a steadfast partner, maintaining open communication and providing ongoing support."

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