Gangwon Province Selects Wonju as AI-Specialized Pilot City... KRW 198.1 Billion Invested to Create 'AI Innovation City'

Gangwon Province Secures "AI-Specialized Pilot City" Project by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Wonju City to Establish 198.1 Billion Won AI Innovation City by 2030
Urban Intelligence Center and AI Village to Be Built
Pilot Projects for AI Services in Autonomous Driving, Disaster Safety, and Healthcare

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province announced on June 19 that Wonju City has been selected as the final site for the "AI-Specialized Pilot City Project" promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Front view of Gangwon Provincial Government Building. Provided by Gangwon Provincial Government

The AI-Specialized Pilot City is a future-oriented K-AI City leading project, which establishes infrastructure so that AI can analyze and learn from data collected throughout the city, and supports the private sector’s development and demonstration of AI technology.

As the final selected location, Wonju City formed a consortium—led by Estraffic and including Hyundai Motor, Saltlux, NHN Cloud, Seoul Robotics, and a total of seven private and research institutions—to propose "Wonju AI Innovation City, a city that understands and moves by itself."

Wonju City plans to designate the area of Wonju Innovation City (3.6 km²) as the initial district and carry out the project with a total budget of 198.1 billion won (143.4 billion won from the national government, 48.9 billion won from local government, and 5.8 billion won in private investment).

The city plans to rapidly establish AI infrastructure such as an Urban Intelligence Center and an AI Village, as well as institutional foundations, and to support the private sector in freely developing and demonstrating a variety of technologies and AI-specialized services using this infrastructure.

AI-specialized services will include integrated mobility services based on autonomous driving, three-dimensional disaster response services, and AI health management services, all centered around the innovation city where demands for housing, transportation, and healthcare are concentrated.

During the application process, the province minimized its involvement in the project to ensure fair competition among local governments—Chuncheon City, Wonju City, and Gangneung City—and focused solely on providing administrative support.

With Wonju City’s selection for the project, the province plans to work closely with Wonju City to secure national funding, coordinate with central government agencies, provide necessary policy advice and professional consulting throughout the project, and support proposals for regulatory exemptions and institutional improvements, so that the AI-Specialized Pilot City can become South Korea’s representative AI city model.

An official from the province said, "The selection of the AI-Specialized Pilot City is a meaningful achievement that recognizes Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province’s digital innovation capabilities and vision for future cities," adding, "We will work closely with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Wonju City, private companies, and research institutions to successfully establish South Korea’s leading AI city model."

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