Seongdong-gu, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Re-certified as a 'Smart City'

Certified as a Smart City for the Second Consecutive Year Following 2021, Establishing a Strong Position as a Smart City by 2025
Plaque Ceremony Held on the 16th, Highly Rated for Unique, Life-Oriented Smart Projects

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) has been re-certified as a smart city and will maintain its smart city status until 2025.

To commemorate this, on the 16th, a re-certification plaque ceremony was held at the west gate of Seongdong-gu Office, reaffirming new aspirations as a smart city.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has been promoting the smart city certification system since 2021 to evaluate the smart capabilities of domestic cities and discover best practices. The certification is granted to institutions with a rating of grade 3 or higher, divided into large cities with populations over 500,000 and small to medium-sized cities with populations under 500,000. Seongdong-gu received a grade 3 among small to medium-sized cities under 500,000 population, solidifying its position as a leading smart city in Korea.

Seongdong-gu was first certified as an excellent smart city in the government’s inaugural ‘Smart City Certification’ in 2021. At that time, it was highly evaluated for achievements such as ▲ establishing the ‘Smart Inclusive City Bureau,’ the first national-level organization among local governments ▲ enacting the Basic Ordinance for the Implementation of Seongdong-gu Smart Inclusive City, which explicitly stipulates resident participation in smart inclusive policies ▲ introducing the nation’s first mobile electronic registry using ICT technology ▲ operating a smart quarantine system including a real-time waiting number guidance system at screening clinics ▲ proactively implementing smart policies for residents’ safety and convenience such as smart shelters and smart crosswalks.

In September last year, upon the expiration of the smart city certification period, Seongdong-gu applied for re-certification and obtained the qualification in December.

In this evaluation, lifestyle-oriented smart projects received particularly high marks, including ▲ operating a crime prevention system on walking trails that uses smartphones like CCTV to respond immediately to emergencies ▲ installing smart smoking booths utilizing negative pressure equipment ▲ developing smart rainwater inlets that automatically open when it rains ▲ expanding smart snow removal systems such as road heating wires and automatic brine spraying devices.

Seongdong-gu was also selected as an excellent local government in the pilot project of the Smart City Index conducted in September among 226 basic local governments nationwide. The Smart City Index is a project that uses national statistics and public data to assess the level of smartization of domestic local governments and is currently being piloted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The outstanding achievements of Seongdong-gu as a smart city were also shared at the 2023 World Smart City Expo (WSCE) held in September. The Smart City Expo is the largest event in the Asia-Pacific region where experts from around the world gather to share smart city achievements and future visions.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “Since the 7th local government administration, Seongdong-gu has integrated various smart technologies into administration to create a happy smart inclusive city where no one is excluded or discriminated against and everyone lives well together. With this re-certification, the status as a smart city has been further elevated, and we will continue to strive to enhance residents’ convenience in daily life and enable them to enjoy the joy of living together.”