Pohang City Becomes First Korean Winner of Main Smart City Award... Recognized for Technological Innovation on Global Stage

Competing Against Over 250 Cities Worldwide, Wins Bronze in Technology Innovation
Field Innovation Models Such as 'Taboso' and 'IoT Taxi System' Highly Praised

Pohang City competed against over 250 cities worldwide and received the bronze award in the Technology Innovation (Tect-InnovaCity) category at the '2025 Smart City Awards (Seoul Smart City Prize)' ceremony hosted by the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO) at COEX in Seoul on September 30.

Pohang City received the bronze award in the Technology Innovation category at the '2025 Smart City Awards' ceremony held at COEX in Seoul on September 30. Photo by Pohang City

The Smart City Awards is an international event that recognizes cities and organizations around the world for their smart city policies and cases of technological innovation.

The city received high marks for its smart mobility system, data-driven safety management, and citizen-centric innovative services. In particular, the 'Taboso' regional currency-based win-win mobility system and the 'ALL IoT TAXI-based road and facility anomaly detection system' drew special attention, leading to Pohang's selection as a final award-winning city.

This achievement marks the first time a Korean city has advanced to the finals and won a main award simultaneously, serving as proof that Pohang is a leading player in the global smart city arena.

Earlier this year, Pohang joined WeGO and obtained associate membership. WeGO is an international organization with participation from over 200 cities and institutions worldwide, serving as the only global smart city platform that strengthens international cooperation through policy sharing, technology exchange, and joint projects.

Pohang also plans to participate in the WeGO Executive Committee (EXCOM) event being held this month, further strengthening its partnerships with member cities and actively promoting the achievements of Pohang’s smart city policies to the international community. Through these efforts, the city aims to expand opportunities for future joint projects and broaden its foundation for global exchanges.

Building on this accomplishment, Pohang will seek to host the WeGO General Assembly in 2029. The WeGO General Assembly is an international event that brings together leading smart cities from around the world, and the host city can establish itself as a hub of the global innovation network.

The city has already been pursuing a wide range of policies, including the Smart City Challenge project, the expansion of AI-based urban safety networks, and citizen-centered transportation and mobility innovations. Based on these achievements, Pohang aims to solidify its image as a 'Smart Innovation City' on the international stage and secure an advantageous position in the competition to host the General Assembly.

Mayor Lee Kangdeok stated, "This award is a remarkable achievement that demonstrates Pohang's technological innovation capabilities have been recognized internationally. We will continue to implement smart city policies that citizens can truly experience and expand our global cooperation network to elevate Pohang as a world-class smart innovation city."

Through this award, Pohang City expects to achieve three key outcomes: strengthening its presence on the international stage, expanding global partnerships, and increasing opportunities for local companies to enter domestic and overseas markets and cooperate on technology investment.

Additionally, by pursuing the bid to host the 2029 WeGO General Assembly, Pohang is laying the groundwork to become a global hub for smart cities.

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