Gwangmyeong Mayor Park Seungwon: "A Smart City Is Complete When Residents Feel the Difference"... Inspects Pilot Sites with Residents

Around 40 residents and officials inspect pilot sites for flood monitoring, Ttokbus and other services
10 services worth 18 billion won underway... Improvements to reflect on-site feedback

Park Seungwon, mayor of Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province, visited smart city pilot sites with residents to assess the convenience and effectiveness of smart technologies in daily life, from flood prediction equipment to demand-responsive buses.

Gwangmyeong Mayor Park Seungwon visited the area near Bitgaon Elementary School in Iljik-dong on the 6th, the demonstration site for the “Small and Strong Smart City Development Project.” He inspected the operation of an eco-friendly IoT-based barrier, or green barrier, that detects urban heat island conditions and fine dust levels and sprays mist. Provided by Gwangmyeong City.

On November 6, Mayor Park visited key sites for the “Small but Strong Smart City Development Project” with Vice Mayor Choi Hyemin, government officials, residents, and representatives of the project consortium, among others, totaling around 40 people. The visit was organized to identify areas for improvement from the perspective of residents who will use the services.

Gwangmyeong City is carrying out the project on a scale of approximately 18 billion won, combining 8 billion won in national funding secured after being selected in a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport public contest in 2024, 8 billion won in city funding, and private investment. The city is building or preparing 10 smart services across four fields: energy, transportation, safety, and data.

At the first stop, in Haan-dong, the group inspected an artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (AIoT)-based integrated flood monitoring and control system. They checked the operation of smart manholes and surface water-level gauges, as well as systems for predicting flood risks and responding to them using weather and water-level data.

“As climate change increases the risk of torrential rain and flooding, we will use advanced technology to predict risks before disasters occur and respond swiftly,” Mayor Park said.

The group then visited the planned site for a renewable energy power plant at the Soha Drainage Pump Station and reviewed plans to install a 250 kW solar power facility. They were also briefed on progress in building a “virtual trading system” to monitor renewable energy production and consumption in real time and manage energy flows, including the sale of surplus electricity.

From Gwangmyeong Memorial Park, the group traveled to Iljik-dong on “Ttokbus,” a demand-responsive public transit service. Operated with eight electric vehicles, Ttokbus helps residents of Iljik-dong, Hakon-dong, and Soha 2-dong get around and access major subway stations.

“Transportation is one of the areas most closely connected to residents’ daily lives, so convenient transit services must reach even areas where getting around is difficult,” Mayor Park said. “We will expand residents’ mobility rights while also expanding an eco-friendly transportation system.”

Gwangmyeong Mayor Park Seungwon gets off the eco-friendly demand-responsive transit service Ddokbus after taking a ride on the 6th. The service is part of the Small and Strong Smart City Development Project. Photo provided by Gwangmyeong City.

At a convenience store in Iljik-dong, the group visited an electric motorcycle battery-swapping station, where Mayor Park demonstrated the battery-swapping process. The city has installed stations at 10 convenience stores across the city for delivery workers and residents who use electric motorcycles. Near Bitgaon Elementary School, the group inspected the mist-spraying function of “Green Barrier,” an Internet of Things (IoT)-based eco-friendly barrier designed to reduce the urban heat island effect and fine dust.

Finally, the group visited the “G-Smart Hub” at the Gwangmyeong International Design Cluster (GIDC). The hub is a center for collaboration among government, residents, and businesses, connecting residents’ ideas with companies’ technologies to solve urban problems. Mayor Park reviewed the operation of collaborative programs and progress in building the “Carbon Trading Platform,” which links carbon reduction activities to economic value, and the “Data Station and Integrated Platform,” which uses urban data for policymaking.

One resident who took part in the site visits said, “I hope that the inconveniences and feedback residents experience while actually using the services will continue to be reflected in improvements.”

“The value of a smart city lies not in how many advanced technologies it adopts, but in how much those technologies make residents’ daily lives more convenient and safer,” Mayor Park said. “We will faithfully incorporate feedback from the sites into the project and create a smart city where residents can feel the difference.”

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