Oh Sehoon Leads Creative Ideas Presentation: Pet Bus and AI-Controlled Subway Temperature Introduced

Creative Presentation Focuses on AI and Smaller Households
A Wave of Policy Proposals to Shape Seoul's Future
Mayor Oh: "The Public Sector Must Stay Ahead"

The Seoul Pet Bus, designed to ensure mobility rights for households with companion animals, and AI-controlled subway temperatures based on big data.

At the Creative Presentation presided over by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on April 17, a range of policy proposals were presented that leverage AI and address the trend toward smaller households. Since adopting creative administration in 2023, the city has received more than 7,500 ideas, of which 156 have been implemented as actual policies. Notable examples of creative administration include transfer benefits for re-boarding the subway within 15 minutes, the expansion of the Onki Warehouse to four locations, and large-print tax notices for seniors.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is delivering a greeting at the "2026 1st Creativity Presentation" held on the 8th floor multipurpose hall of Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 17th. Photo by Yonhap News.

The proposals unveiled on this day were eight out of 766 suggestions submitted by employees of the city and district offices between February 4 and March 4, after passing internal review. The city plans to select the final outstanding creative proposals through a vote by a panel of experts and an employee evaluation group.

In the area of AI utilization, the proposals included: ▲ An intelligent subway climate control system based on big data analysis (such as congestion, day of the week, time, temperature), ▲ Real-time parking congestion information provided within the 'Seoul Parking Information' app using AI cameras, ▲ The transformation of Seoul Children's Grand Park into an AI-powered zoo and botanical garden, and ▲ Document summarization in Seoul's work management system using AI.

To address the trend toward smaller households, the proposals included: ▲ A senior cultural community within local neighborhoods inspired by seniors missing the Go boards removed from Tapgol Park, ▲ The Seoul Pet Bus to guarantee mobility rights for households with companion animals, ▲ An obituary notification and online memorial space to ensure a dignified farewell for single-person households, and ▲ A senior-friendly housing certification system to guarantee residential stability for elderly single-person households.

On this day, the city also released more than 200 pieces of content—including short-form videos and webtoons—created by public officials using AI. To foster AI competency in the public sector, Seoul provides all employees with training in AI utilization as well as education and consulting for creating promotional content. In the 'Content of the Month for March' poll, more than 4,300 people participated, and the winning entries were: ▲ 'Solving Homeownership Concerns, Seoul Housing Policy Communication Center,' ▲ 'The Start of a Seoul Journey, Climate Companion Card,' and ▲ 'Nodul Global Art Island: Changes Coming in 2028.'

Seoul City also operates an online platform for citizen policy proposals called 'Sangsangdaero Seoul' to encourage public participation in creative administration. Since launching the 'Ten Million Imagination Oasis' in 2006, the city has continuously developed its citizen participation-based policy proposal system, allowing anyone to freely suggest policy ideas from daily life. Submitted ideas undergo a 30-day period of public discussion and deliberation. If a proposal receives support from more than 50 citizens, the relevant Seoul City department reviews its feasibility and the possibility of policy adoption before making a final decision.

Recent examples of citizen proposals that have been realized include: ▲ Revising the system so that individuals can use Seoul-style kids cafes in the morning when there are no group reservations, ▲ Enhancing the display of subway destinations by enlarging font size on onboard screens, ▲ Installing solar-powered LED road studs to improve lane visibility during rainy weather, and ▲ Replacing the flooring at Ttukseom Extreme Park with safer materials.

Mayor Oh stated, "As AI is no longer the exclusive domain of tech companies, urban environments are changing rapidly, and the public sector must lead the way. We will support our employees so that the creative ideas they develop from the citizen's perspective become a reality and bring meaningful impact to people's daily lives."

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