Shin Sangjin Promotes Seongnam’s Transportation Innovation at UN... Secures Next Year’s Asia EST Forum

Mayor Shin Sangjin Presents Seongnam’s Sustainable Transportation Policies at the UN
Official Announcement: Seongnam to Host Asia High-Level Sustainable Transport Forum
March 16-19 Next Year
Shin Sangjin: "Bringing Seongnam-Style Transportation Innovation to the World"

Seongnam Mayor Shin Sangjin promoted Seongnam’s status as a global smart city to the international community by presenting the city’s sustainable transportation policies at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters as a representative city of the Republic of Korea. He also officially announced, for the first time, the schedule for Asia’s most prestigious international conference on sustainable transportation, to be held in Seongnam in March of next year.

Seongnam Mayor Shin Sangjin shakes hands with Zhuwang Zhu, Director of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development Goals Division (UN DESA DSDG), at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) Secretariat within the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the 7th local time. Provided by Seongnam City

According to Seongnam City on July 8, Mayor Shin was invited to the official side event of the “2026 United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)” at the UN Headquarters in New York on the 7th local time, where he presented Seongnam’s sustainable transportation policies and the city’s vision for future mobility.

The event, themed “Building Resilient Cities” and “Implementation of the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport Initiative,” brought together government officials from various countries, representatives of international organizations, and global experts. Mayor Shin introduced Seongnam’s future mobility policies, which combine human-centered transportation systems with advanced technology, attracting significant interest from attendees.

In his presentation, Mayor Shin explained the unique Seongnam-style mobility system, which integrates a 62-kilometer Nubi Trail, the creation of 12 Hwangto Trails, ecological restoration of the Tancheon Stream, the linkage of autonomous driving routes, the construction of a 360-kilometer bicycle road network, as well as the integration of electric and hydrogen vehicles, personal mobility devices (PM), shared vehicles, and a 28-kilometer autonomous shuttle service into a single Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform.

He also highlighted various smart transportation policies, including an artificial intelligence (AI)-based safety management system installed on 53 buses across 14 city bus routes, the use of drones for road management, free autonomous shuttles, drone delivery, and AI patrol robots. He emphasized, “Future technologies are becoming a reality, making citizens’ lives safer and more convenient.”

At the end of his presentation, Mayor Shin officially announced that the “17th Asia High-Level Meeting on Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum” will be held at Seongnam City Hall from March 16 to 19, 2027. Inviting government officials, international organizations, and city representatives from around the world to visit Seongnam, he stated, “I hope the Seongnam EST Forum becomes an international platform where cities worldwide can share innovative cases and expand cooperation.”

Seongnam City is already recognized by the international community as a sustainable city. After winning the Silver Award at the LivCom Awards last year, the city has steadily raised its global profile by introducing Seongnam’s future mobility policies at events such as the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) sustainable transport conference held in Bangkok, Thailand.

In particular, as the transportation sector is identified as a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions, Seongnam’s establishment of a low-carbon, inclusive mobility system has been highlighted as an exemplary case among local governments contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for energy and sustainable cities and communities. International organization representatives, including from the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority in Nigeria, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and SLOCAT (Sustainable Low Carbon Transport Partnership), participated in this session to share Seongnam’s policies.

Mayor Shin stated, “Being able to present Seongnam’s policies on the UN international stage as a representative of the Republic of Korea is an achievement made together with our 920,000 citizens,” and added, “We will continue to expand cooperation with cities worldwide so that Seongnam’s outstanding policies can contribute to the sustainable development of the international community.”

Seongnam Mayor Shin Sangjin is taking a commemorative photo with the presenters after the official side event of the '2026 United Nations (UN) High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)' held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA, on the 7th local time. Provided by Seongnam City

After the event, Mayor Shin met with Zhuwang Zhu, Director of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the parent organization of the UN Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), to discuss measures for the successful hosting of the 17th Asia High-Level Meeting on Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum scheduled to be held in Seongnam next March, as well as ways to expand international cooperation in the field of sustainable transportation.

Mayor Shin stated, “Seongnam is realizing a sustainable urban transportation model that connects technology, people, culture, and the environment through human-centered mobility,” and continued, “We will do our utmost to prepare for the 2027 Seongnam EST Forum so that it can become a meaningful international stage for cities worldwide to share innovative policies and build new cooperation networks.”

Director Zhuwang Zhu commented, “The UN Sustainable Development Goals place great value on local-level implementation,” adding, “Seongnam’s sustainable transportation policies and the hosting of the EST Forum will serve as exemplary cases for many cities around the world.”

The 17th Asia High-Level Meeting on Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum, to be held at Seongnam City Hall in March of next year, is expected to bring together around 300 participants, including government officials from 40 to 50 Asian countries, international organizations, and experts, to discuss policies for transitioning to carbon neutrality and human-centered transportation systems. Notably, this will be the first time that the EST Forum, which had previously been hosted by central governments, will be held by a local government as both host city and organizing institution, with Seongnam taking the lead.

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