[Provided by Seongnam City]
[Provided by Seongnam City]

Seongnam is strengthening its cooperation framework with South Korea's Permanent Mission to the UN for the successful hosting of the 17th Asia High-Level Meeting on Environmentally Sustainable Transport, or EST Forum, scheduled for Seongnam in 2027, on the sidelines of the UN High-Level Political Forum, or HLPF, in New York.

The city also wrapped up a series of global urban diplomacy engagements, expanding policy exchanges on transportation and smart cities with major New York institutions.

On July 10 (local time), Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin and a city delegation visited South Korea's Permanent Mission to the UN, where they met with Ambassador Cha Ji-hoon to discuss government-level cooperation on concluding a Host Country Agreement and preparing for a successful forum.

"The 2027 EST Forum will serve as a platform for international cooperation to share sustainable transport and future mobility policies," Shin said. "We will work closely with the South Korean government and the UN to host a successful forum and share Seongnam's innovative policies with the world."

Ambassador Cha pledged full support. "The Permanent Mission will work closely with the UN and relevant organizations to ensure the 2027 EST Forum becomes a successful international conference that draws global attention," he said.

Earlier in the visit, the delegation met with James Anderson, head of Government Innovation Programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies, on July 8 to discuss cooperation on urban innovation, data-driven administration and smart city policy. The two sides shared examples of public-private partnership models for urban innovation and explored opportunities for continued collaboration.

On July 9, the delegation visited the New York City Department of Transportation to exchange views on urban traffic operations and autonomous driving policy. Seongnam officials introduced the city's AI-based road management system and autonomous shuttle operations, and the two sides discussed ways to improve citizen-centered transportation services and enhance public transit efficiency using AI technology.

The same day, the delegation visited the New York City Mayor's Office of Operations, where they learned about the city's data-driven governance, performance management systems and citizen service quality controls. The two sides also exchanged views on advancing administrative services through AI and data and on building citizen-centered smart cities, continuing their policy dialogue on urban operational innovation.

On July 7, the delegation presented Seongnam's people-centered smart city vision and future mobility policies at an official side event of the UN HLPF, broadening the foundation for cooperation on sustainable urban development and transportation with representatives from international organizations including the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, or UN DESA, and cities around the world.

Through the New York visit, Seongnam expanded its cooperative network with international organizations and global urban innovation institutions — including South Korea's Permanent Mission to the UN, UN DESA, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the New York City Department of Transportation and the Mayor's Office of Operations — and further solidified the international cooperation framework for hosting the 17th Asia High-Level Meeting on Environmentally Sustainable Transport in 2027.


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