Gwangju City, Partner Institutions Join Hands for Regional Hub Smart City Development Project

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Gwangju Metropolitan City signed a business agreement on the 27th at the City Hall Business Room with 12 organizations including Dong-gu Office, Gwangju Urban Corporation, and Hanwha Systems Co., Ltd. consortium to successfully promote the regional hub smart city development project in Gwangju.

Attending the agreement ceremony were Acting Mayor Moon Young-hoon, Acting Dong-gu Office Chief Kim Seong-hak, President of Gwangju Urban Corporation Jeong Min-gon, CEO of Hanwha Systems Co., Ltd. Uh Seong-cheol, Head of KEPCO KDN Co., Ltd. Shin Jae-moon, CEO of Replus Co., Ltd. Yoo Byung-chun, CEO of Data Alliance Co., Ltd. Lee Kwang-beom, Vice President of Veryworks Co., Ltd. Park Min-su, CEO of Cybertech Co., Ltd. Cho Sung-hee, CEO of Daon H&S Co., Ltd. Choi Jeong-moon, Professor Eom Ik-chae of Chonnam National University, Director Na Gyo-min of Naver Cloud Co., Ltd., and Executive Director Jeong Kyu-hong of Autocrypt Co., Ltd.

The regional hub smart city development project, selected as a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport public contest project last December, is a project that moves away from government-led methods to create an integrated smart city for fundamental urban transformation through local government and private company collaboration led by the region.

This agreement is significant as it establishes mutual cooperation, operation, and business support plans to ensure smooth project promotion following the completion of the agreement between Gwangju City and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on March 30.

The main contents of the agreement include ▲ mutual cooperation and business support plans for the regional hub smart city development project ▲ establishment of a data hub and infrastructure for nine services across four sectors including energy, transportation, safety, and environment to improve urban operation efficiency ▲ achievement and dissemination of project performance goals ▲ continuous participation and cooperation in operation after project completion.

According to the agreement, Gwangju City, Dong-gu Office, and Urban Corporation will support a budget of 24 billion KRW over three years from 2022 to 2024, including 12 billion KRW each from national and city funds. The Hanwha Systems Co., Ltd. consortium will invest 4.3 billion KRW in-kind from private capital, including corporate technology know-how and solutions, aiming to build a high-quality smart city model based on public-private win-win cooperation.

The main contents of this project include ▲ construction of an RE100 megastation ▲ introduction of smart parking services in public parking lots ▲ installation of safety facilities such as AI CCTV, smart poles, and smart crosswalks ▲ establishment of recycling vending machines ▲ construction of a data hub linked with the CCTV control center.

First, to establish an energy self-reliance foundation, an RE100 megastation, an electric vehicle (EV) charging station that produces, shares, and consumes solar energy directly, will be built on public land to resolve the shortage of EV charging infrastructure and provide eco-friendly charging services.

Additionally, to solve severe parking inconveniences and illegal parking issues in the old downtown area of Dong-gu, smart parking services will be introduced in public parking lots. To ensure citizens' safety and prevent daily accidents, AI CCTV and smart poles will be expanded in high-crime areas. Smart crosswalks will be installed in elderly protection zones to safeguard citizens from danger.

Along with this, to address the serious waste recycling problem worsened after COVID-19, recycling vending machines that classify PET, CAN, and paper using artificial intelligence will be established to create a pleasant urban environment.

Furthermore, by constructing a data hub linked with the CCTV control center, various urban data necessary for administrative policy-making will be collected and analyzed, laying the foundation for smart city operation.

Based on this project plan, detailed design and implementation plans will be established by September, and after approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, construction is scheduled to begin in October.

Acting Mayor Moon Young-hoon said, “This project is expected to be a catalyst for creating a green smart fun city Gwangju that opens a bigger and stronger era for Gwangju,” and added, “We will support the establishment of a high-quality smart city model based on public-private win-win cooperation through this agreement.”

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