World Smart City Expo in Busan... AI-powered Future City Technologies in One Place

Jointly Hosted by Busan, MOLIT, and MSIT in September

From Smart to AI City: Asia’s Largest-scale Event

An international event showcasing the future of cities utilizing AI and digital technologies, along with the latest advancements in related industries, will be held in Busan.

On August 18, the Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Jeon Jae-soo) announced that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Minister Kim Yoon-deok) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Bae Kyung-hoon), it will host the ‘2026 World Smart City Expo (WSCE)’ at BEXCO for three days from September 9 to 11.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, WSCE is an international event where governments, cities, companies, institutions, and experts from Korea and abroad gather to share smart city policies and technologies and to identify joint projects.

Last year, Busan became the first local government to attract and host WSCE, and this year it is participating as an organizing institution. The event will be held alongside ‘K-ICT WEEK,’ a regional exhibition focused on AI and ICT. The plan is to present smart city and AI·ICT technologies in one place, thereby broadening business exchanges and opportunities for related companies.

2025 Smart Building Special Exhibition.

This year’s event carries the slogan, ‘Beyond Smart City, Into AI City.’ It will feature exhibitions, business programs for corporations, and international conferences. The exhibition hall will include three special exhibition zones: the Busan Smart Ocean Pavilion, K-AI City, and Smart Build & Green Lounge. There will also be a major enterprise pavilion, with participation from companies such as Korean Air, KT, and Naver Cloud, as well as international exhibition zones.

Programs for businesses are also scheduled, including open innovation sessions, buyer meetings, and corporate presentations, supporting exchange between companies and the expansion of market entry channels. Through international conferences such as the ‘Urban AI Summit,’ the event will address policy and industry trends surrounding smart cities and AI technologies.

For the public, a talk concert will be held featuring the YouTube channel ‘Not Possible Science’ and Seongbeom Heo, an AI researcher from KAIST.

At this event, Busan will showcase the ‘Busan Smart Ocean Pavilion,’ reflecting the region’s identity as a marine and port city. The Smart Ocean Pavilion will present Busan’s future city policies and technologies, including the Arctic shipping route, smart port and logistics, autonomous navigation and marine mobility, AI and data-driven urban management, digital twin technology, and eco-friendly and smart marine industries.

There are plans to demonstrate how advanced technologies such as AI, digital twin, autonomous navigation, and robotics are being applied to the marine and port sectors to illustrate changes in cities and industry, as well as to propose a model for Busan’s future maritime city.

Mayor Jeon Jae-soo stated, “I hope this event will serve as an opportunity to showcase Busan’s capabilities as a leading smart city, both domestically and internationally. I also hope it will help companies identify new markets and business opportunities, and provide citizens with insight into how smart city technologies and services will transform the quality of life in future cities.”

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