Won Hee-ryong Meets Finnish Minister... "Strengthening Mobility Cooperation"

Discussion on Bilateral Government Cooperation in the Mobility Sector

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] On the 31st, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, met with Timo Harakka, Minister of Transport and Communications of Finland, who is visiting Korea, at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul to discuss cooperation between the two governments in the mobility sector.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong met with Timo Harakka, Minister of Transport and Communications of Finland, who is visiting Korea, at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul on the 31st to discuss the mobility sector between the two governments. (Provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

This meeting was initiated at the request of Minister Timo Harakka, whom Minister Won met at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland on January 18, where Won delivered a keynote speech.

Minister Won said, "I am pleased to meet Minister Timo Harakka again today and continue the discussion on the future mobility vision that we could not finish in Switzerland here in Korea," expressing his welcome for Minister Harakka's visit.

Minister Won stated, "Recently, innovative technologies such as IT have converged in the transportation sector, bringing about a completely new era of mobility. In particular, communication technologies like 5G and 6G are key to realizing the mobility era, including autonomous driving and Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Since both Korea and Finland are strong countries in communication technology and information and communication technology (ICT), I hope that the cooperative relationship with Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communications will continue in the future."

Minister Won introduced Korea's Urban Air Mobility (UAM) strategy, saying, "Korea aims to commercialize flying taxis in Seoul by 2025. This year, we plan to officially launch the 'Grand Challenge,' a comprehensive demonstration program for UAM utilizing the world's first commercial 5G network, in Goheung, Jeollanam-do."

Along with this, Minister Won also shared policies supporting private innovation to expand various mobility services in the mobility era. He explained that a public-private cooperation project has begun to launch a nationwide Mobility as a Service (MaaS) within this year, which provides route guidance to desired destinations, transportation reservations, and payments all in one application. He also mentioned the introduction of a mobility-specialized regulatory sandbox to create an environment where anyone with an idea can freely conduct demonstrations.

Minister Won emphasized, "Since there is high potential for cooperation with Finland in various fields such as mobility, communications, and data, I hope that this meeting will serve as an opportunity for the public and private sectors to become one team and build a practical cooperative relationship with Finland."

In response, Minister Timo Harakka said, "Korea is a leading country in the future mobility sector," and added, "I hope that the continuous cooperative relationship with Korea will be maintained."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to continue expanding and strengthening global cooperation in the mobility sector to enhance mobility policy capabilities that meet 'global standards.'