Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin, who recently won re-election, said the city's selection as a smart city specialized complex "is an achievement that has earned national recognition for Seongnam's capabilities in AI, mobility and healthcare."
The city of Seongnam announced Monday it had been selected for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's 2026 Smart City Specialized Complex Development Project.
Through the project, the city will receive 8 billion won (about $5.26 million) in central government funding to develop the "Seongnam Life Mobility Specialized Complex" — a district combining AI-based healthcare and future mobility — across a 5,871,365-square-meter area covering Pangyo Techno Valley 1, 2 and 3, Pangyo Station, and the Bundang Seoul National University Hospital area in Jeongja-dong and Gumi-dong. Total project costs are estimated at 16.83 billion won, comprising 8 billion won in national funding, 8 billion won from the city and 830 million won in private investment.
The project focuses on building a citizen-centered smart city by linking medical, welfare and transportation services to support elderly residents' health management and mobility needs at the same time.
In healthcare, the city will partner with Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, Kakao Healthcare and Zeroweb to manage chronic conditions among older residents through data integration and provide AI-powered health coaching services. The city also plans to deploy IoT sensors in homes to collect and analyze activities of daily living data and detect early warning signs, building a smart care system designed to meet the demands of a super-aged society.
In mobility, the city will offer remote-operated vehicle-sharing services targeting startup employees and workers at small and medium-sized enterprises that lack company vehicles. It also plans to run fixed-route autonomous shuttle services connecting Pangyo Station and Bundang Seoul National University Hospital to improve access to medical and welfare facilities for elderly residents and people with limited mobility.
The city will also pilot an auto-valet parking service using unmanned parking robots and a mobile electric vehicle charging robot service, testing the commercial viability of next-generation parking and charging solutions.
Seongnam will build a cooperative network with 10 specialized institutions — including the Seongnam Industry Promotion Agency, the Next-Generation Convergence Technology Research Institute, Bundang Seoul National University Hospital and Kakao Healthcare — to support technology demonstration and commercialization by local companies. Through this, the city aims to foster a smart city industrial ecosystem integrating AI, mobility and healthcare, and to establish itself as a leading hub for smart city innovation in South Korea.
fob140@heraldcorp.com
