Largest Urban-Scale Living Lab
Technology Demonstration for Two Years Starting in 2026
The construction of the 'Autonomous Driving Living Lab' to demonstrate autonomous driving technology within an actual city in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, has officially begun.
On the 5th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Hwaseong-si held a groundbreaking ceremony for the 'Autonomous Driving Living Lab' at Namyang Sports Park, attended by about 350 people including Son Im-seong, Vice Mayor of Hwaseong-si, Bae Jeong-su, Chairman of Hwaseong City Council, Jeon Hyeong-pil, Director of the Mobility and Automobile Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, representatives from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, the Korea Intelligent Transportation Systems Association, and key officials from related organizations as well as citizens. The Living Lab project is being implemented by the SK Telecom-Lotte Innovate consortium.
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the 'Autonomous Driving Living Lab' held on the 5th at Namyang Sports Park in Hwaseong City, attendees are pressing the blasting button. Photo by Hwaseong City
The 'Autonomous Driving Living Lab' is a project that integrates and demonstrates autonomous driving technology and public services developed through the government-led cross-ministerial autonomous driving research and development program, which has been underway since 2021 with an investment of 1.1 trillion KRW, within urban spaces. Hwaseong-si was selected as the Living Lab site through an urban competition held last October.
Starting with this groundbreaking, the city plans to complete the Living Lab construction by March 2026 and operate eight public services until the end of 2027, after which it will further advance autonomous driving technologies and services.
The 'Autonomous Driving Living Lab' being established in Hwaseong-si is the largest of its kind at the city scale in South Korea. The target area covers approximately 30 square kilometers, which is similar in size to Songpa-gu in Seoul. The total length of road routes for autonomous driving demonstration is also the largest in the country, extending 140 kilometers.
Once the Living Lab construction is completed, the city expects it to serve as an opportunity not only to verify the effectiveness and safety of autonomous driving technology in real environments but also to build trust in autonomous driving technology by allowing citizens to directly experience it in their daily lives. Additionally, through the construction and operation of the Living Lab, the city anticipates significant contributions to revitalizing the local economy by fostering related industrial ecosystems, creating new industries, and expanding job opportunities.
Jung Myeong-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong-si, stated, "The Autonomous Driving Living Lab is an unprecedented experiment on a new level that the world has never experienced before. It is not merely a technological experiment but a great challenge toward a better future. We will become a special city that establishes a sustainable city contributing to the development of the Republic of Korea and sets the direction for urban development."
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