'Future Transportation at a Glance' Smart Mobility Expo Held at Mapo Culture Reservoir, Seoul

Second Year Following 2019, Over 40 Mobility Companies Participate
Seoul City and Hyundai Motor Sign MOU for 'Successful Realization of UAM and Ecosystem Building Cooperation'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will hold the '2021 Seoul Smart Mobility Expo' at the Culture Depot from the 10th to the 12th. This event, held for the second time following 2019, aims to forecast changes in transportation brought by the 4th Industrial Revolution and present a blueprint for the future of mobility.

The expo, which provides an opportunity to introduce Seoul's vision for future transportation and to directly experience innovative technologies and services from leading companies, is themed "A Smarter City Created by Mobility Innovation," showcasing the future transportation vision. On-site, over 40 companies with world-class technologies, including Hyundai Motor Company, Hanwha Systems, LG Electronics, GS Caltex, Mercedes-Benz, KT, T Map Mobility, Kakao Mobility, T-money, 42dot, and Automus, participate in various discussions and experiential events.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated in his opening remarks, "The rapid advancement of mobility technology and the transition to a contactless society are accelerating the era of future mobility," adding, "Based on the successful hosting of this expo, Seoul will do its utmost to advance the city's future transportation time by strengthening the mobility ecosystem and infrastructure, including urban air mobility, autonomous driving, and smart logistics delivery systems."

Additionally, Hyundai Motor Company, Hanwha Systems, and Mercedes-Benz Korea delivered keynote speeches expressing their companies' determination and aspirations regarding new modes of transportation in the mobility industry. Park Dong-il, Vice President of Hyundai Motor Company, revealed Hyundai's pursuit of future mobility and technological innovation under the theme "Technological Innovation of Future Mobility." Kim Yeon-cheol, President of Hanwha Systems, expressed confidence in UAM (Urban Air Mobility), which is positioned as a new mode of transportation expanding from two-dimensional to three-dimensional road networks, forecasting a rapidly changing mobility ecosystem.

Furthermore, Markus Sch?fer, Chief Operating Officer of Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars, conveyed the company's commitment to sustainable intelligent mobility, aiming to continue Mercedes-Benz's reputation as a global leader in automotive technological innovation.

Seoul City, leveraging this expo, will join hands with Hyundai Motor Company to successfully realize the domestic UAM industry by fostering the UAM ecosystem and revitalizing related industries. Seoul City signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hyundai Motor Company at the Culture Depot on the same day to cooperate on the successful realization and ecosystem construction of UAM. The signing ceremony was attended by Mayor Oh and key officials, including Shin Jae-won, President of Hyundai Motor Company's UAM Division.

Through the MOU, Seoul City and Hyundai Motor Company plan to collaborate on building the UAM ecosystem, activating the UAM industry, establishing visions for UAM takeoff and landing sites (vertiports), developing a Korean-style UAM roadmap, and conducting the 'K-UAM Grand Challenge' demonstration project. Shin Jae-won, President of Hyundai Motor Company's UAM Division, said, "This MOU with Seoul City is significant as it establishes the first collaboration system between a private company and a local government for the development of the UAM industry in Korea," adding, "We will strive to lead the global UAM market by cooperating with Seoul, a global mega-city."

During the two-day thematic sessions on the 10th and 11th, Seoul's mobility vision, domestic companies' technologies and businesses, and mobility industry trends will be shared in response to the rapidly changing mobility era. Additionally, the themed exhibition halls where visitors can experience Seoul's future mobility will feature three themes: UAM, smart logistics, and autonomous driving, offering various exhibitions and demonstrations such as drone aircraft boarding experiences, logistics delivery robots, and autonomous driving VR experiences.

Meanwhile, over 40 participating companies leading the mobility industry, including CJ Logistics, GS Caltex, LG Electronics, SK Telecom, Naver Labs, and Kakao Mobility, will showcase their visions and technologies responding to the new wave of mobility in the exhibition zone. Furthermore, various events allowing citizens to directly experience future mobility will be held, including an AI robot show, university student mobility design exhibitions, wearable robot experiences, and autonomous shuttle operations near the venue.

Baek Ho, Director of Seoul City's Urban Transportation Office, said, "Sangam area is the place where the development of mobility, such as autonomous driving integrated with advanced technologies like 5G and IoT, can be showcased first," adding, "I hope that citizens can experience the future transportation vision of Seoul and the cutting-edge technologies of various companies together at this expo, which provides a venue to see and experience Seoul's mobility future in their daily lives."

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