[Card News Episode 5]Smart City Technologies – Today’s Game Changer (Smart city and related industries in Seoul)

Rapid urbanization has brought about a wave of social problems for Seoul.

Artificial intelligence (AI), big data, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain technology, etc. Seoul and cities around the world look to smart city technologies as a solution to diverse challenges.

What is a smart city?
A smart city is an urban area wherein myriad enhanced services are offered on the basis of the city’s infrastructure built through convergence and integration of construction technologies and advanced ICT and aimed at fostering its competitiveness and livability.

Energy, transportation and safety are top priorities of 70% of smart cities across the globe.
Developed countries leverage smart city technologies to combat climate change. On the other hand, developing countries use them to tackle urban issues resulting from population growth.

In 2019, the central government unveiled its 3rd Smart City Master Plan. The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) also finalized its roadmap for becoming a smart city through “Smart City Action Plan,” which includes 18 strategic projects in six areas. Six core areas: transportation, safety, environment, welfare, economy, and administration

Infrastructure, data and services are enabling elements of a smart city as an urban setting or platform. Key technologies powering smart cities include big data, AI, IoT, smart grid solutions, and self-driving cars.

Seoul is home to roughly 20 percent of the entire nation’s smart city firms. That is to say, the capital region has a conducive environment for building a smart city.

• Smart City Industries in Seoul
  • Number of establishments 21,947, or 20.9% of the nationwide total
  • Number of employees 414,950, or 23.4% of total nationwide employment

• Software Industry in Seoul
  • Number of employees 204,594, or 67.4% of total nationwide employment (301,589)
• Data Industry in Seoul
  • Number of employees 208,697, or 62.5% of total nationwide employment (333,864)

Suggestion from the Seoul Institute
It is recommended that the SMG strengthen the functions of its smart city platform with an aim to bolster the growth of the software and data industries.

Source: Jaewuk Ju. 2021. “Smart City and Related Industries in Seoul“. Policy Report 317 (Feb. 2021), Seoul: Seoul Institute

Source: Jaewuk Ju. 2021. “Smart City and Related Industries in Seoul".