Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae hosts AI connected mobility forum, bringing together automakers, platform and cybersecurity firms to develop Cheongna International City as a high-tech industrial base
Incheon is moving to transform Cheongna International City into a future mobility industrial hub by combining AI and connected vehicle technology.
The city plans to bring together automakers, auto parts suppliers, platform operators, telecommunications firms and cybersecurity companies to develop Cheongna into a new high-tech industrial center in the northwestern greater Seoul area.
Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae hosted an "AI Connected Mobility Business Forum" at the Conrad Seoul hotel on Tuesday, where participants discussed the growth direction of AI-based future mobility industries and ways to support companies in the sector.
The forum was attended by National Assembly members Jeong Jin-uk, Song Jae-bong, Lee Yong-u and Lee Hun-gi, along with officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
From the private sector, Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Kefico, HL Klemove, LG Electronics and LG Innotek participated, representing automakers and key parts suppliers.
Lotte Innovate, Tmap Mobility, Intellian Technologies, Autocrypt and Fescaro also joined, representing platform, telecommunications and cybersecurity firms — underscoring the expanding scope of the future mobility industry as it converges with AI, communications and security.
At the forum, the Korea Automobile Research Institute presented an overview of the connected car industry and response strategies, followed by discussions on how Incheon can establish itself as a hub for AI connected mobility.
Companies particularly emphasized that securing competitiveness in the future mobility sector requires not only technology development but also the expansion of R&D infrastructure, and called on the central government and local authorities to provide stronger support.
Mayor Park said he intends to use Tuesday's discussions as a springboard to develop Cheongna into a core base for the AI connected mobility industry.
Cheongna International City benefits from its location linking Incheon International Airport and Incheon Port, and is already building relevant industrial infrastructure, including the Cheongna Sky Bridge and a connected car certification and evaluation center.
Building on this, Incheon plans to flesh out a concept for an "AI Connected Mobility Science Park" centered on Cheongna, aiming to create an advanced industrial ecosystem where companies, research institutions and related infrastructure are concentrated in one place.
The initiative aligns with Mayor Park's broader future industry strategy. Incheon has identified AI, biotech, content and energy as the four pillars of its future industrial development, with plans to upgrade the city's industrial structure by fostering cross-sector linkages and attracting new businesses.
"AI is more than a technology that boosts individual companies' productivity — it is the essential link that organically connects industries to one another," Park said. "We will firmly establish Cheongna as a new high-tech industrial hub in the northwestern metropolitan area by concentrating AI connected mobility companies and infrastructure there."
He added that the city would focus on building a robust administrative support framework so companies can invest more easily and grow more quickly, and pledged to strengthen cooperation among the National Assembly, the central government, businesses and related institutions.
Going forward, Incheon said it will maintain ongoing communication channels with companies and related organizations, incorporate on-the-ground concerns into policy, and develop tailored support measures by company and industry to advance the creation of an AI connected mobility ecosystem.
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
