Seoul's Yongsan-gu, led by District Mayor Kim Gyeong-dae, is actively integrating advanced technologies such as AI and the Internet of Things into public administration, steadily expanding the scope of its smart governance.
The district's focus goes beyond simply adopting new technology — it aims to raise the quality of administrative services by applying those tools directly to areas that touch residents' daily lives, including care, safety, welfare, culture and civil services.
Yongsan-gu is pursuing 51 smart city projects across 22 departments this year. Of these, 19 are new initiatives and 13 make use of AI. The total budget is 4.86 billion won ($3.44 million). The district's goal is to build a smart city where residents can feel the difference in their everyday lives through AI- and data-driven, life-centered administration.
AI Watches Over Residents — and Detects Crises
Care and safety are the areas where smart administration is making its earliest impact. Yongsan-gu is running a program called "Bang-bang Gotgot Care On," which installs radar sensors inside the homes of single-person households that need support. The sensors monitor heart rate, respiration, occupancy and falls in real time. Deployed across 21 households in Huam-dong and Cheongpa-dong, the system does more than check in on residents — it detects emergencies and triggers a response.
In March, sensors picked up an abnormal cardiac reading from an elderly resident in Huam-dong. The alert reached a case worker, who arranged an emergency transfer in time to avert a life-threatening situation. "I always worried about what would happen if I suddenly fell ill while alone," the resident said. "Thanks to this, I survived. I'm truly grateful."
The district also operates an AI welfare-check service targeting single-person households at risk of social isolation. An AI system places automated calls once a week to check on residents' health, any discomfort and whether they have taken their medication, then analyzes the conversation for anything unusual. So far, 1,054 households have enrolled; the AI has made 15,858 welfare calls, with an additional 923 follow-up calls handled by staff.
On the safety front, the district is expanding its network of intelligent CCTV cameras, moving beyond passive monitoring to build an AI-powered surveillance system capable of detecting specific situations such as a person collapsing or wandering. The system has also helped apprehend criminal suspects, supporting police investigations and strengthening on-the-ground response.
From Senior Health Management to Mental Wellness and Book Recommendations
Smart technology is also being applied to the health and leisure needs of older residents. The district has converted Hyochang 2nd Senior Center into a smart senior center, equipping it with connected health devices including blood pressure monitors, blood glucose meters and body-fat analyzers. AI-assisted exercise equipment, an AI Go-playing robot and smart tables are also helping seniors manage their health and maintain cognitive function. Wonhyo 1st Senior Center is set to undergo the same conversion in the second half of this year.
AI is also expanding its role in mental health support. "On-maeum Sup" is a service that provides mental health information, AI chatbot counseling and access to professional psychological counseling. Since launching in March, it has recorded 4,820 website visits and 598 chatbot consultations through the end of June.
At district libraries, an AI service analyzes users' age, gender and preferences to recommend personalized books. The district is also broadening its reach with an AI-powered multilingual simultaneous interpretation service to help foreign residents and tourists communicate, and an AI visual-assistance device for visually impaired visitors to civil service offices.
Beyond Technology — Using Data as the Basis for Policy Decisions
Yongsan-gu's smart administration does not stop at deploying AI. The district is also strengthening data-driven governance, analyzing local data to sharpen policy accuracy and improve on-the-ground responsiveness.
This year, the district completed data-analysis projects in several areas — including future-oriented social overhead capital infrastructure, CCTV placement based on enforcement data, parking facility identification and demand forecasting for participatory budgeting. Starting next year, the district plans to integrate a conversational large language model service into its "Yongsan Real-Time Smart Map," allowing users to search and access a wide range of data using natural language. The aim is to make it easier and faster for both policymakers and residents to retrieve local data such as foot traffic and card sales figures by neighborhood.
The Next Goal: Making Smart Administration Something Residents Can Feel
Yongsan-gu is pushing ahead with 19 new smart city projects this year, further expanding its use of AI. The initiatives center on areas closely tied to residents' daily lives — mental health care, personalized book recommendations, speaker-based care services, AI-powered elevator safety management and a high-speed AI search system to protect socially vulnerable residents.
"Smart administration is not about showcasing impressive technology," District Mayor Kim said. "Its value lies in making residents feel less inconvenienced in their daily lives and helping them live more safely and comfortably. We will continue to actively integrate new technologies — AI, data and IoT — into public administration, and keep delivering life-centered services that residents can genuinely feel."
Yongsan-gu's smart administration is evolving from a technology-first approach to one centered on what residents actually experience. What matters more than the pace of technological advancement is how much that technology changes people's lives — and Yongsan-gu is looking for that answer on the ground.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
