Park Seung-won, the mayor of Gwangmyeong, South Korea, conducted a field inspection on November 6 to enhance the convenience and safety of citizens through smart city initiatives.
During the visit, Mayor Park, accompanied by Deputy Mayor Choi Hye-min, city officials, citizens, and representatives from the project consortium, assessed key demonstration sites for the smart city project to evaluate the operation of smart services and their impact on residents.
This visit aimed to confirm the convenience and effectiveness of services from the perspective of citizens who utilize smart technologies and to incorporate their feedback into the project.
Mayor Park noted that Gwangmyeong was selected for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's small-scale smart city project in 2024, with a total investment of over 18 billion won, including 8 billion won from the national government, 8 billion won from the city, and private investments.
The project focuses on responding to the climate crisis by promoting ten smart services across four key areas: energy, mobility, safety, and data.
During the inspection, Mayor Park reviewed the operation of an AIoT-based integrated flood control system in the Haandan-dong area.
He examined the disaster response system that collects weather and water level data through smart manholes and surface water gauges to predict flood risks in advance.
"As the risk of heavy rainfall and flooding increases due to the climate crisis, we will utilize advanced technology to predict risks before disasters occur and respond swiftly," Mayor Park stated.
He also visited the site planned for a renewable energy resource power plant at the Soha Drainage Pump Station, where he checked the installation plans for a 250 kW solar power facility and the status of a virtual trading system for managing electricity production and consumption.
This initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions and enhance energy independence through the efficient management of surplus power generated from public facilities.
In the transportation sector, Mayor Park assessed the operation of the eco-friendly demand-responsive public transport service, Ddok Bus, while traveling from Gwangmyeong Memorial Park to Iljik-dong.
The Ddok Bus, operated with eight electric vehicles, enhances mobility for residents of Iljik-dong, Hakwon-dong, and Soha 2-dong, improving access to major subway stations.
In Iljik-dong, he visited battery swapping stations for electric two-wheelers installed at ten convenience stores to observe the battery exchange process.
Near Bitgaon Elementary School, he checked the mist-spraying function of IoT-based eco-friendly green barriers that separate sidewalks from roadways, assessing their effectiveness in reducing urban heat islands and fine dust while improving pedestrian environments.
Finally, he visited the Gwangmyeong International Design Cluster's Innovation Center, G-SMART HUB, to review programs aimed at solving urban issues with citizen and business participation, as well as the progress of data-driven administration.
Notably, he inspected the status of a carbon trading platform that connects citizens' and businesses' carbon reduction activities to economic value, along with the establishment of a data station and integrated platform for analyzing and utilizing urban data in policy-making.
A participating citizen remarked, "I could see that Gwangmyeong is using smart technology to address urban issues closely related to citizens' daily lives, such as transportation, safety, and the environment, creating a more convenient and safer city. I hope that the inconveniences and feedback experienced by citizens will continue to be reflected in service improvements."
Mayor Park emphasized, "The importance of a smart city lies not in the introduction of advanced technology but in making citizens' daily lives more convenient and safe. I will incorporate the feedback gathered from the field into service improvements to create a city where citizens can feel the changes."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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