Mayor Kim Kyungil: "Next Year Will Mark the First Year of Establishing the Nation's First AI Administrative City Model"

Paju City Sets Sights on Becoming an 'AI Administrative City' by 2026
Investing 3.09 Billion Won in 24 Projects
Paju's Vision for a Self-Sufficient City of One Million Residents Realized Through AI Administration
AI as a Public Asset for All Citizens... "Paju Will Lead the Way"

Paju City in Gyeonggi Province has officially begun preparations to transform itself into an artificial intelligence (AI) administrative city. At an expanded executive meeting held on September 11, the city reported its plan to implement 24 AI-based projects in 2026, with a total city budget allocation of 3.09 billion won.

Panoramic View of Paju City Hall. Provided by Paju City.

Paju City has presented its future vision as "A Greater Paju Centered on Citizens with AI, Advancing Toward a Self-Sufficient City of One Million Residents," and has been promoting the "AI Administrative City Initiative" since 2024. The project, which will be carried out over four years from 2024 to 2027, is set to receive a total budget of 5.25 billion won, with the largest portion-30.4%-allocated to the automation and enhancement of administrative work.

For the newly announced 2026 projects, the city has outlined four core strategies: strengthening administrative reliability, providing AI infrastructure to the private sector, fostering an AI industry ecosystem, and discovering citizen-participatory AI services.

To achieve these goals, the city will establish the "Paju Sovereign AI System," which applies a domestically developed large language model (LLM) to administration, and will support small and medium-sized enterprises with GPU-based infrastructure to accelerate the regional transition to AI. The city also plans to regularly host AI policy idea competitions where citizens can propose and implement their own ideas.

As a priority, the city has selected five key projects-including the establishment of the "Paju Sovereign AI System" and an AI robot rehabilitation program-and will immediately begin work on these within this year.

The first project involves building the "Sovereign AI System" to apply a domestic large language model to administration, ultimately completing a standard model for AI-driven administration. The plan is to integrate AI technology across all areas, such as drafting administrative documents, responding to civil complaints, and policy analysis, to enhance both efficiency and reliability.

The second project is the "AI Robot Rehabilitation" initiative, which aims to support the recovery of people with disabilities and the elderly. Centered at the Unjeong Danurim Welfare Center for the Elderly and Disabled, this project seeks to establish a leading model for AI applications in healthcare and welfare, with the goal of expanding it nationwide.

The third project involves introducing an AI-based water usage management system (smart metering) and an electric vehicle fire detection system. These services are expected to improve citizens' convenience by enabling real-time management of water usage and early detection of electric vehicle fires and flooding, while also enhancing safety.

The fourth project is the launch of an "AI Missing Person Rapid Search Service." By utilizing AI video analysis technology, the city aims to quickly locate missing persons and respond within the critical golden hour, thereby further strengthening the safety net that protects citizens' lives and safety.

Lastly, the city will actively support smart livestock farming by integrating AI technology across agriculture and livestock industries. This initiative is intended to lay the foundation for transforming Paju into a future-oriented, digitally innovative livestock city.

Other citizen-focused services to be implemented include: AI disaster monitoring video analysis, smart care dolls (Hyodol-e), library AI chatbots, metaverse-based psychological counseling, and AI youth media clubs.

Paju Mayor Kim Kyungil stated, "AI is not the exclusive property of any particular group, but a public asset that all citizens should benefit from," adding, "2026 will mark the first year that Paju establishes itself as the nation’s leading AI administrative city model."

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