Gangneung Wins 2026 'Traffic Olympics'... Taipei, Taiwan in Tears

Economic Ripple Effect of Gangneung City Estimated at 370 Billion KRW

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Gangneung City announced on the 18th that they have successfully secured the hosting rights for the 32nd ITS (Intelligent Transport System) World Congress, scheduled for October 2026, beating out Taipei, Taiwan.

ITS refers to an intelligent transportation system that efficiently manages traffic information through advanced transportation technology and improves traffic efficiency and safety through scientific and automated operations.

The 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress Organizing Committee achieved the remarkable feat of being selected as the host country for the World Congress for the third time, following Seoul and Busan, by surpassing Taiwan during the final proposal presentation held at the LA Convention Center in the United States on September 17th (local time) from 9 a.m. (Korean time September 18th, 1 a.m.).

Known as the "Transportation Olympics," the ITS World Congress began in 1994 in Paris, France, and is the world's largest exhibition and academic conference in the ITS field, held annually rotating among Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

South Korea previously hosted the 5th Seoul ITS World Congress (1998) and the 17th Busan ITS World Congress (2010). Among the 11 Asia-Pacific countries, only South Korea and Japan have hosted the ITS World Congress three times.

Since selecting Gangneung City as the final domestic candidate city in 2020, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has actively supported ITS national subsidy projects (36 billion KRW over two years) to modernize road infrastructure within Gangneung, and a public-private organizing committee was formed to vigorously carry out hosting activities.

Notably, the final competing candidate city was Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, which was making its third bid. Due to its relatively higher city name recognition, the bidding process for Gangneung was a nail-biting contest until the very end.

The 32nd ITS World Congress, to be held over five days from October 19 to 23, 2026, is expected to involve 100 countries and will feature various academic sessions, exhibitions, demonstrations and inspections of the latest technologies, and business consultations involving experts and entrepreneurs. The total number of visitors is projected to reach approximately 60,000.

It is also expected to promote Korean ITS technology at a world-class level, expand international recognition, provide a platform for international cooperation on advanced transportation technologies, and support domestic companies’ overseas expansion.

Economic effects are anticipated, including revitalization of the local economy through large-scale foreign visitor influx, strengthening of international branding, activation of the local IT industry, and job creation.

Gangneung City expects an economic ripple effect of 372.9 billion KRW and employment inducement of 2,033 jobs through this ITS World Congress.

Minister Won Hee-ryong stated, "The 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress will be successfully hosted together with Gangneung City, enabling Gangneung to leap forward as an international tourism city centered on advanced transportation. Furthermore, we will do our utmost to prepare so that South Korea’s cutting-edge ITS industry can become a global leader."

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