"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 host the 2026 Global Mobility Conference together with the Korea Transportation Safety Authority and the OECD International Transport Forum (ITF) at the Westin Josun Seoul on the 7th and 8th.

This international event will discuss ways to make advanced mobility technologies like autonomous driving safe and convenient for everyone to use in daily life. Mobility companies and experts from Korea and abroad, as well as international organizations, will gather in one place to examine the commercialization of cutting-edge technology, the ensuing changes and challenges, and to discuss policy directions.

This year's theme is "Innovation into Everyday Life: Leading the Era of Adaptation." According to the Ministry, the conference aims to identify policy and institutional measures, as well as cooperation strategies, to entrench mobility innovation as a tangible daily experience for the public, beyond mere technological potential.

On the first day, keynote speeches will be given by Eungseon Ryu, CEO of Kakao Mobility; Steven Han, Executive Director at Waymo; and Gaurav Agarwal, Senior Director at NVIDIA. In the main session, presentations will be given by Sebastian Pfingstner, Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group; Bernard Soriano, Deputy Director of the Policy Division at the California Department of Motor Vehicles; and Sungwhi Hyun, Head of Pony.ai Korea.

On the second day, a special session among Asian mobility research institutions will address policy and research trends in Korea, the Philippines, and China. The ITF special session will facilitate interactive discussions on the past, present, and future of mobility innovation. Other subjects include autonomous vehicle safety and insurance, the humanities of mobility, demand-responsive mobility solutions, and AI-based logistics vehicles.

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 feature participation from domestic and international companies such as Hyundai Motor Group, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Kakao Mobility, Waymo, and NVIDIA, as well as research institutions including the German Future Mobility Innovation Cluster (MCube) and the China Academy of Transportation Sciences (CATS). International organizations taking part include, in addition to the ITF, UN ESCAP, Airports Council International World (ACI World), and the International Road Transport Union (IRU).

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Yoondeok Kim stated, "Mobility innovations driven by autonomous driving and artificial intelligence are already taking place in many aspects of our daily lives, but we must make an even greater leap so that every citizen can truly experience them." He added, "I hope the future vision and direction of global cooperation will be discussed in depth at this event."

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