Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon delivers congratulatory speech on the first day of the Smart Life Week event at COEX in southern Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
The Seoul Metropolitan Government hosted its inaugural global information and communications technology (ICT) fair Smart Life Week, from Thursday to Saturday, highlighting the city's cutting-edge, human-centered technologies to an international audience including city officials from overseas.
"Smart Life Week will now be an annual event in Seoul," Mayor Oh Se-hoon said during his congratulatory speech, Thursday.
"We hope it becomes a significant platform for driving the global digital and AI transition while fostering diverse international cooperation."
Under the theme "The Future of Urban Life Transformed by Advanced Technology," 147 innovative companies, both domestic and international, showcased their cutting-edge developments at an exhibition in Seoul.
A visitor experiences virtual reality through smart glasses, exploring the city's tourist attractions at COEX in southern Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-hyun
The three-day event, held at COEX in southern Seoul, drew a diverse audience of citizens and city officials from 115 cities across 72 countries.
Aligned with the city's commitment to supporting the socially vulnerable, the event featured a range of exhibitions showcasing innovations in public welfare, safety, convenience and entertainment.
"We aimed not only to showcase but also introduce the city's policies, systems and services through innovative technologies in the showroom," a Seoul Metropolitan Government official said.
A transparent touch display drew attention at the city government's showroom.
"This system uses real-time data to provide subway-related information, such as train congestion levels and whether elevators or escalators are under maintenance, all before passengers exit the train," an official at the booth explained.
In addition to subway information, the display also highlighted nearby infrastructure and cultural events taking place around the station.
"It's still in development, but we expect it to be implemented in Seoul subway stations in the near future," the official said.
The showroom also featured a zone where visitors could experience virtual reality using smart glasses to explore city landmarks. This system provides tourist information as well as real-time updates on weather and public transportation at key attractions.
Furthermore, the city showcased its safety systems, including the "Help me" Bell, designed to protect citizens in emergency situations.
By pressing the emergency button, an alert is triggered, and the user receives a call on their mobile phone to verify their safety. Simultaneously, nearby control centers, such as police stations and district offices, are notified and can monitor the situation through CCTV before dispatching police to the scene.
Hyundai Motor showcases its autonomous driving technology at a showroom during Smart Life Week held at COEX in sourthern Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-hyun
In addition to the city government's featured showroom, 49 companies participated, creating a concept space where visitors could experience cutting-edge advancements in future urban life across 12 themes. These included robots in daily life, housing innovations, future transportation, road development, welfare systems and safety.
Leading Korean companies, such as Hyundai Motor, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, SK Telecom and Shinhan Bank, and the Seoul Housing & Communities Corp., contributed to high-quality experience zones in mobility and smart home technologies.
Additionally, domestic companies specializing in robotics and IoT technologies, including Robotis, AeiRobot and Gabotech, contributed to the showroom's creation.
Educational institutions, including Hoseo University and Sookmyung Women's University, along with research organizations like the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, also offered interactive experiences with their innovative technologies.
A showroom showcasing the achievements of global smart cities also featured participation from seven international cities, including London and Paris.
Participants engage with a real-time translation service at the city's exhibition booth at COEX in southern Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-hyun
At the exhibition hall, a total of 98 innovative companies participated, showcasing advancements across four key areas — support for the vulnerable, innovative technology, tourism and mobility.
In the Together with the Digitally Vulnerable zone, 41 domestic and international companies presented technologies designed to support vulnerable populations.
POSCO Steelion exhibited tactile artwork for the visually impaired, while the National Rehabilitation Center showcased various technologies such as robotic beds and robots that aid eating. Foreign companies such as the Netherlands' J58 and Germany's Cynteract also highlighted their unique innovations in utilizing technologies to support the week.
In the Robotics and Innovation Technology zone, 20 companies specializing in high-tech sectors, including robotics and health care, displayed their work. Notably, eight companies, which had been awarded for their innovative technology at the CES in Las Vegas earlier this year, exhibited their technologies under themes such as beauty, autonomous driving, health care, kitchen and living spaces.
The Tourism zone featured eight travel tech companies, including Flitto, which provides real-time multilingual tourism guides, and The Capsule, offering an immersive experience showcasing IoT-connected capsule hotels.
Flitto, which is leading the language artificial intelligence (AI) industry, provides multilingual AI-powered simultaneous interpretation and language data solutions for AI systems.
Since November last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has implemented Flitto's real-time translation service to enhance convenience for tourists. The service, available at the Gwanghwamun Tourist Information Center and Seoul Tourism Plaza, offers translation in 11 languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Malay, Indonesian, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, French and English.
In the Mobility zone, 29 companies showcased innovations in future transportation, including urban air mobility (UAM), autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and subway technologies.
Korea Aerospace University, Korea Airports Corp. and SK Telecom displayed UAM aircraft and control systems, while Kia presented its multi-purpose "Platform Beyond Vehicle" following its CES 2024 debut. The exhibition also featured a smart public transportation payment solution, Seoul's Climate Card unlimited transit pass and Seoul Metro's booth where participants can experience future subway.
The city plans to establish a distinct identity for the event within three years, elevating it to the level of CES, the world's leading consumer electronics show.
"This event aims to be a platform for sharing the values of companionship and attraction that Seoul strives for, bringing together citizens, domestic and international businesses and cities," said Park Jin-young, head of the city's digital city bureau.
"Next year, we will double the scale of the event to enhance citizens' well-being by exploring how to optimize various advanced technologies, including AI, mobility, UAM, robotics, big data, smart homes and health care."