[Inside Chodong] Universal Mobility Rights Have Yet to Be Achieved

Engineering can be said to benefit humanity because it provides considerable help in overcoming limits and constraints. When ranking the engineering achievements of the 20th century, automobiles and airplanes occupy quite high positions. In a chart released by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering at the end of the last century in 2000, they ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively. They freed people from the burdens they had to bear for movement until then. To put it more grandly, as mobility became more convenient, it helped expand individual freedom and became a key driver of globalization by enabling faster travel between countries and even different continents.

In addition, highways, which emerged alongside the spread of automobiles, also rank 14th in the aforementioned engineering achievements list. Roads have existed since the dawn of humanity, and roads from ancient Rome are considered prototypes of modern roads. Nevertheless, highways have had a significant impact on our lives, intertwined with the invention of automobiles and the advancement of industrialization. Among the top 20 achievements, three are directly related to mobility. Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun’s declaration of the company vision as ‘Progress for Humanity’ also reflects the intention to recall how his predecessor, Chairman Chung Ju-yung, worked hard to improve mobility rights by building highways and encouraging the development of domestic cars.

It is roughly true that mobility rights have been expanded thanks to engineering technology. However, this is only when speaking broadly about humanity; if asked whether universal mobility rights have been realized for every specific group or individual, it is hard to nod affirmatively. First, there is the mobility rights of vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities. While opinions on the radical collective actions of disability groups may vary, it is a fact that people with disabilities face numerous restrictions when using public transportation or moving somewhere. Although things are gradually improving, disability still acts as an obstacle to mobility in our society.

Furthermore, in rural areas where the population is declining and aging, public transportation is decreasing, and in urban centers, where excessive population concentration and costs prevent solutions, mobility rights are broadly infringed. The development of information technology (IT) has created conditions conducive to discussions surrounding these basic mobility rights. In the past, there were no suitable means to connect the demand and supply of transportation, but with the widespread adoption of smartphones, real-time connections have become possible. The active movement to implement Mobility as a Service (MaaS) also stems from this background.

Transportation means are originally intended as a service in themselves. In the past, different modes of transportation were segmented, but technological advances have enabled their integration to enhance user convenience. The ultimate form of MaaS is seen as an organically connected overall travel route?from leaving home, stopping at desired places, to returning home?allowing the use of optimized transportation without spatial or temporal constraints. The user’s disability status, lack of roads, or peak usage times are no longer issues. This represents the stage where basic mobility rights are truly realized. Adding autonomous or unmanned driving technology to this MaaS system is likely to operate it in a more sophisticated form.

With the enforcement of the Mobility Innovation Act on the 19th, the government first introduced a regulatory sandbox to ensure that advanced technologies are not stalled due to regulations. Skepticism still prevails. Since the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), the main ministry, has been a representative regulatory body, there is doubt whether it can encourage corporate technology development. Groups emphasizing the public nature of the transportation system worry that there might be excessive focus on technology development that neglects mobility rights. It is necessary to watch how MOLIT takes the first step.

Choi Dae-yeol, Deputy Editor, Industrial IT Department

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