[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 17th that it will hold the '2020 Seoul Smart City Leaders Forum' online without an audience on the 22nd and 23rd. At this forum, under the theme of 'Inclusive Smart City,' leaders in the smart city field from 11 cities including Los Angeles, USA, and Helsinki, Finland, will meet virtually to exchange ideas.
The forum will be held at Seoul On, a newly established video conference studio in Taepyeong Hall at Citizen's Hall in Seoul. It will be broadcast live through Seoul City's official YouTube channel and others. Overseas speakers will participate via video conference from their respective countries, and offline participation of domestic speakers will be minimized to comply with quarantine guidelines.
On the first day, the 22nd, a 'Leaders Seminar' will introduce excellent cases of inclusive smart cities from overseas cities such as Los Angeles and Helsinki, and share experiences of smart citizens both domestic and abroad. This will be an opportunity to envision the future of smart cities where we will live, through diverse opinions and thoughts from citizens.
In the first part, overseas cities such as The Hague, Los Angeles, and Helsinki, as well as Seongdong-gu and Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH Corporation), will present cases of building inclusive smart cities. Seoul City will present its case of an inclusive smart city without digital divide.
The second part will feature a Smart Citizen Talk Concert. Participants will include embassies in Korea (United Kingdom, Thailand), companies (NVIDIA, Dot), film directors, and domestic and international citizens (Seoul honorary citizens, international students, university students, overseas Koreans, foreigners), who will continue discussions on inclusive smart cities.
On the second day, the 23rd, a conference will be held. Presentations and discussions on the use of big data and citizen participation for inclusive smart cities are scheduled. Seokwoo Lee, Deputy Director of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology and a key figure who led the 'Smart America Challenge,' will deliver the keynote speech on 'The Concept and Prospects of Inclusive Smart Cities.'
The event website is currently hosting a citizen participation comment event on inclusive smart cities. Coffee coupons will be given by lottery.
Detailed information and schedules for this forum can be found on the official website. The event will be broadcast live on Seoul City's official YouTube channel and TBS YouTube, and can also be viewed on the official website and Seoul City's social broadcast 'Live Seoul.'
Seoul City plans to expand the forum into a platform for discourse accessible to everyone by providing various smart city-related content in 2021, maximizing the advantages of the online format without time and space constraints in planning and operating the event.
Wonmok Lee, Director of Smart City Policy at Seoul City, said, “Creating an inclusive smart city where all citizens enjoy together without discrimination or gaps under the firm value of being people-centered is the ultimate destination of the smart city we must reach together.” He added, “This forum, held online for the first time, aims to set a model for international online events where smart citizens at home and abroad can participate together.”
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