[Interview] Roh Hyun-song, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, "Building a Resident-Friendly Smart City"

Creating a People-Centered Smart City to Ensure All Residents Enjoy Cutting-Edge Public Services Without Exclusion... Promoting Gangseo-gu S-Net (Smart Seoul Network) Construction with Seoul City to Bridge the Digital Divide During Smart City Development

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Noh Hyun-song, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul, expressed his ambition to transform the district into a "future advanced smart city" to shed Gangseo-gu's image of being underdeveloped compared to other autonomous districts.

In an interview with this publication, Mayor Noh said, "Starting with the development of the Magok district, Gangseo-gu has now established itself as the central city of the southwest area, attracting everyone's attention and becoming a representative city of Seoul, the capital. Going further, we will focus on advancing into a future advanced smart city."

Last year, Gangseo-gu established a dedicated smart city department. Since then, it has concentrated on laying the foundation by enacting the "Ordinance on the Creation and Operation of Smart Cities" and signing a business agreement between Gangseo-gu and Chung-Ang University for the creation of a smart city in Gangseo. This year, the district also formed the "Smart City Business Council," establishing a foundation for a public-private cooperation network. Mayor Noh stated, "Our vision is a future advanced city where cutting-edge IT technologies can be freely used," adding, "To bridge the digital divide within the region, we are also promoting the construction of Gangseo-gu S-Net (Smart Seoul Network) in collaboration with Seoul City." S-Net is a project to build public Wi-Fi, Internet of Things (IoT), and intelligent CCTV throughout public living areas.

Mayor Noh also elaborated on the ongoing "Magok Smart City Living Lab" project in the Magok district. He said, "Magok district is the optimal place to demonstrate 4th industrial revolution technologies," and added, "We are conducting the 'Magok Smart City Living Lab' project, which provides smart infrastructure and public facilities within the Magok area as a testbed until December." The projects of the five companies selected for this initiative include ▲establishing a non-face-to-face musculoskeletal healthcare platform ▲eco artificial intelligence IoT chatbot ▲shared electric bicycle system ▲IoT-based waste separation solution ▲installation of smart stations.

First, a ‘non-face-to-face musculoskeletal healthcare platform’ will be developed to allow residents and workers in the Magok area to remotely manage their musculoskeletal health professionally from home. When participating residents use the measuring device (ExoriHep), artificial intelligence (AI) analyzes big data on their health status to assess the progression and risk of musculoskeletal conditions, then delivers the information to health experts via an app.

The eco artificial intelligence Internet of Things (AIoT) chatbot collects environmental information such as fine dust and noise by installing various IoT sensors in Magok, then provides the analyzed results to residents through big data analysis. The shared electric bicycle system project introduces the shared electric bicycle service "Illec" to the Magok area, enhancing mid- to short-distance mobility convenience for local workers and residents.

Ten sensor-equipped recycling waste separation bins called "WeBin" will be installed. When recyclables are properly deposited into WeBin, users receive points through the reward app "Today's Recycling," which can be used like cash. Smart stations will be installed where bicycle and electric scooter parking, charging, and sharing are integrated in one place, developing an easy parking, charging during parking, and app sharing system, and demonstrating parking and sharing functions. The city plans to share the results of the five projects at a performance report meeting scheduled for December.

Mayor Noh added, "In addition to the Magok Smart City Living Lab project, the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH Corporation) is developing a 'Smart Moss Tower' that combines smart technology and green infrastructure to address fine dust, and is considering installing it within the Magok district."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.