AI Scholars to Gather at Hwaseong City's 'MARS 2025' AI Expo

Choi Jaeboong, Lee Ji-Hyung, Yoo Changdong, Hyun Dae-Won, and Others to Attend
AI Utilization and Marketing Training for Public Officials, Keynote Speeches, and More

Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province is drawing attention as a large number of renowned domestic AI scholars are scheduled to attend the AI exhibition 'MARS 2025', which will be held for three days from June 18 to 20 at COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. In particular, it is considered unusual for a basic local government at the city, county, or district level to independently host an AI exhibition that not only attracts leading domestic and international companies, but also brings together prominent authorities in the field of AI.

According to Hwaseong City on June 5, 'MARS 2025' will be attended by Choi Jaeboong, professor at Sungkyunkwan University and author of 'AI Sapiens'; Lee Ji-Hyung, president of the Korean Artificial Intelligence Association; Yoo Changdong, professor at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at KAIST; and Hyun Dae-Won, dean of the School of Convergence Media at Sogang University.

The name 'MARS' stands for 'Mega-city AI Revolution Summit.' This event, being held for the first time this year by Hwaseong City, aims to examine the impact of AI technology across cities and industries and to present a vision for the future.

At the main booth 'URBAN AI' in Hall C of COEX, a variety of AI services that Hwaseong City is currently implementing or plans to introduce in various administrative fields will be showcased.

Major conglomerates such as Hyundai Motor, Kia, Shinsegae Property, AhnLab, and SK Magic, as well as a range of related companies both large and small, will set up booths throughout the exhibition hall to present their AI technologies to visitors. Universities including Hongik University, Suwon University, KAIST, Seoul Institute of the Arts, and Kyung Hee University will also have booths to showcase their research achievements.

In the conference hall, leading AI scholars will present their visions for the future society shaped by AI. The event will feature a variety of programs, including a conference, the MARS 2025 SUMMIT Forum, the 2nd Hwaseong Data Forum, an AI Industry Technology Seminar, an investment attraction briefing session, and the AI x Mijidap Hwaseong Basic Society Forum.

On the first day, June 18, Professor Choi Jaeboong will conduct 'AI Utilization Training for Public Officials' for local government employees nationwide, while Lee A-Young, an instructor from GPT Korea's AI Division, will provide 'AI-based Marketing Training.'

Starting at 1:30 p.m. that day, the main program, 'MARS 2025 Summit AI,' will be held on the exhibition stage in two parts. In the first part, Hyun Dae-Won, dean of the School of Convergence Media at Sogang University, will deliver the keynote speech. In the second part, Kang Seonghoon, CEO of Studio Lab, will participate. CEO Kang made headlines by winning the Innovation Award at CES, the world's largest IT and electronics exhibition, for two consecutive years.

On the same day, the '2nd Hwaseong Data Forum' will also take place. Lee Sewon, a research fellow at the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, will give a lecture on solutions to urban problems using public data and AI technology.

On the second day, June 19, the 'AI Industry Technology Seminar' will feature Yeo Hwasu, professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at KAIST, as a speaker. This will be followed by the 'MARS 2025 Conference,' which will be divided into two parts and attended by leading scholars in related fields. In the first part, Kim Youngmi, professor at the Department of Public Administration at Sangmyung University, and Nam Youngjun, professor at the Department of Library and Information Science at Chung-Ang University, will participate. In the second part, Professor Yoo Changdong and President Lee Ji-Hyung will engage in in-depth discussions on AI and its impact across society, administration, and industry.

On the final day, June 20, an MD consultation meeting to help AI companies expand their sales channels will be held, along with parts 3 and 4 of the 'MARS 2025 Conference.'

Jung Myung-Geun, mayor of Hwaseong City, stated, "'MARS 2025' will go beyond a simple exhibition to become a venue where AI scholars and experts, global business representatives, public officials, and citizens come together to seek practical solutions to urban issues through AI technology."

Mayor Jung added, "In particular, through this event, we will demonstrate that local governments can take the lead in AI policy discourse, which has so far been centered on the central government."