Robots Move Cargo, AI Monitors Hospital Wards... Hwaseong Unveils Future City at 'MARS 2026'

Hwaseong City signs investment cooperation agreement with AMAT Korea
Five themed halls covering mobility, healthcare and space draw huge crowds
Participation by 62 leading companies and organizations, including Hyundai Motor and Kia, draws attention
Mayor Jeong Myeonggeun: "We will stay engaged with residents and businesses through the final day"

Robots moved logistics boxes along conveyor belts, while artificial intelligence (AI) monitored hospital wards, offering visitors a glimpse of future medical technology. The scene was at "MARS 2026," a global AI expo being held by Hwaseong Special City, Gyeonggi Province, at COEX in Seoul.

Hwaseong Special City Mayor Jeong Myeonggeun delivers opening remarks at the opening ceremony of MARS 2026. Courtesy of Hwaseong City.

Hwaseong City, led by Mayor Jeong Myeonggeun, said it wrapped up the second day's events on Nov. 4, including an investment promotion briefing and a public-sector AI transformation forum, and opened the exhibition on the final day, Nov. 5. The event, which opened on Nov. 3, brought together 62 companies and organizations, including Hyundai Motor, Kia, Samsung Life Insurance, Daewoong Pharmaceutical and KAIST.

Events on the second day focused on corporate investment cooperation and ways to use AI in public administration. About 120 business representatives from Korea and abroad attended the 2026 Hwaseong Special City Investment Promotion Briefing, held in Hall E at COEX. The city signed an investment cooperation agreement with Applied Materials Korea, a global semiconductor equipment company. Oh Geonyoung, a team leader in Shinhan Bank's WM Group, also gave a special lecture.

The Hwaseong AI Forum and the 2026 Public AX Forum Hwaseong addressed ways to incorporate AI into urban operations and public administration. About 154 practitioners from 67 organizations nationwide took part and shared Hwaseong City's ontology-based urban operations model and its experience with public-sector AI transformation.

Five AI-themed exhibition halls operated for three days in Hall D2 at COEX. They included "Moving City AI," covering future vehicles, autonomous driving and urban air mobility; "AX & Physical AI," focused on manufacturing and robotics; and "Real Life AI," covering healthcare and smart homes. "Sustainable City AI," showcasing transportation, safety and urban data, and "X-Space AI," focused on aerospace and satellite data, also welcomed visitors.

Hwaseong Special City Mayor Jeong Myeonggeun (left) poses for a commemorative photo with Park Gwangseon, CEO of Applied Materials Korea Co., Ltd., after signing an agreement on investment cooperation and mutual benefit with the local community. Photo provided by Hwaseong City.

In healthcare, a joint exhibition booth for an "AI Smart Hospital," put together by Dongtan City Hospital, Samsung Life Insurance and Daewoong Pharmaceutical, drew attention. It showcased technologies applicable in clinical settings, including smart-ward monitoring, AI testing and robotic rehabilitation therapy.

Hyundai Motor Group and Kia showcased future mobility technologies, including autonomous vehicles, in-vehicle AI agents and purpose-built vehicles (PBVs). At the Yubitech booth, an industrial physical AI robot demonstrated how it moved logistics boxes. Visitors also flocked to a photo zone where they could take commemorative photos with the robot.

A Hwaseong resident who had just taken a commemorative photo said, "It was fascinating and a very different experience to meet a robot up close and take a photo with it. I enjoyed being able to experience firsthand the future technologies that are becoming part of our lives."

The city also provided free exhibition booths to local startups, giving them opportunities to promote their technologies and find business partners. Aju Mobility Life, which won an excellence award at the Hwaseong City H-Startup Startup Competition, presented an AI solution that uses parking lot CCTV data to identify vacant spaces in real time and predict parking duration.

Hwaseong Special City Mayor Jeong Myeonggeun (front row, center) poses for a commemorative photo with corporate representatives at the 2026 Hwaseong Special City Investment Promotion Briefing. Photo provided by Hwaseong City.

Hwaseong Mayor Jeong Myeonggeun said, "I would like to thank everyone for their support on the first and second days of the global AI expo, MARS 2026. We will continue to engage with residents and businesses through the final day."

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