"How Can Autonomous Driving Become Part of Everyday Life?" Domestic and International Companies and Research Institutions Join Forces

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Transportation Safety Authority, and ITF to Hold Global Conference on September 7-8

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it will hold the 2026 Global Mobility Conference at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul on September 7 and 8, in cooperation with the Korea Transportation Safety Authority and the OECD International Transport Forum (ITF).

This is an international event aimed at discussing ways to ensure that everyone can use advanced mobility technologies, such as autonomous driving, safely and conveniently in daily life. Mobility companies and experts from Korea and abroad, as well as international organizations, will gather to examine the commercialization of advanced technologies, the resulting changes and challenges, and to discuss policy directions.

The theme for this year is "Making Innovation Everyday: Leading the Age of Adaptation." According to the Ministry, it signifies efforts to establish mobility innovation as a tangible part of everyday life for citizens, going beyond mere technical potential, and seeks policies, institutional responses, and collaborative ways to support that transition.

On the first day, keynote speeches will be delivered by Ryu Keung-seon, CEO of Kakao Mobility, Stephen Han, Executive Director at Waymo, and Gaurav Agarwal, Senior Director at NVIDIA. In the main sessions, presentations will be given by Sebastian Pfaffinger, Partner at Boston Consulting Group, Bernard Soriano, Deputy Director of Policy at the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and Hyun Seong-hwi, Director at Pony.ai.

On the second day, a special session by Asian mobility research institutes will discuss policy and research trends in Korea, the Philippines, and China. The ITF special session will feature participatory discussions on the past, present, and future of mobility innovation. Other topics will include autonomous vehicle safety and insurance, mobility and the humanities, demand-responsive mobility services, and AI-based logistics solutions.

At COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, officials are explaining the autonomous shuttle Roi at the "2026 Future Mobility Week." Photo by Yonhap News Agency

This event will be attended by domestic and international companies such as Hyundai Motor Group, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Kakao Mobility, Waymo, and NVIDIA, as well as research organizations including Germany's Future Mobility Innovation Cluster (MCube) and the China Academy of Transportation Sciences (CATS). International organizations such as the ITF, UN ESCAP, Airports Council International World (ACI World), and the International Road Transport Union (IRU) will also participate.

Kim Yoon-duk, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "Although mobility innovation led by autonomous driving and artificial intelligence is becoming part of our daily lives, we must now take a greater leap so that all citizens can truly experience these advances. I look forward to in-depth discussions on our future vision and directions for global cooperation."

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