Hwaseong City’s ‘MARS 2025’ Draws Attention with Seven Specialized Exhibitions

Covering AI Policy, Urban Development, Industry, and Education
Held at COEX for Three Days from June 18 to 20

Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province will host its first-ever artificial intelligence (AI) expo as a local government, titled 'MARS 2025,' for three days from June 18 to 20 at COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The event will welcome visitors with exhibitions across seven specialized themes.

This event will feature around 100 specialized exhibition booths organized by various participants, including Hwaseong City, AI companies, universities, and public institutions, allowing attendees to experience both technologies and policies.

The city has divided the exhibition into seven areas: Urban AI, AI Infrastructure, Robotics, AI Industry, AI Innovation, AI Lifestyle, and Mobility. This organization is designed to enable visitors to experience the flow of technology in each industry and see real-world application cases.

The exhibition will see participation from leading domestic and international AI companies. A total of 34 companies will take part, including major corporations such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), SK Magic, Hyundai Motor, Kia, LG Uplus, Shinsegae Property, and AhnLab, as well as mid-sized companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, and startups from within the city that were directly invited by Hwaseong City. These companies will showcase advanced AI technologies and a variety of industrial application cases through their promotional booths.

The city has placed particular emphasis on attracting local small but strong enterprises and startups. Notable examples include Zeus, a company specializing in semiconductor manufacturing equipment and industrial robots; Abiman Engineering, which provides robotics-based smart factory solutions; Twim, a developer of AI-based inspection software; and AD System, a startup specializing in manned and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Major universities, including KAIST, Kyung Hee University, Suwon University, and Seoul Institute of the Arts, will also operate their own booths to present AI-based research achievements and entrepreneurship education cases.

At the KAIST booth, AI-based student startups will also greet visitors. Technology-driven startups such as Rabbit Hole Company, which has developed learning solutions that combine virtual reality (VR) and AI technologies, and Bookend, the first company in Korea to develop an AI Korean language correction solution, will participate.

Suwon University will introduce achievements in AI technology application based on industry-academia collaboration through companies such as GoGo FND and Hard Science, which are working in partnership with the university's Startup Support Group and Startup Incubation Center.

Exhibition booth layout of Hwaseong City's AI Expo 'MARS 2025,' held from the 18th to the 20th at COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Provided by Hwaseong City

On the opening day, June 18, the '2nd Hwaseong Data Contest' for university students, a special lecture by an AI expert, and a policy presentation by the overseas exploration team of the Hwaseong Talent Development Foundation Technopol will also take place.

Another feature of this exhibition is that it offers a glimpse into the potential for expanding AI utilization and policy in the public and administrative sectors. To this end, Hwaseong City,the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Future Industries, Korea Testing Laboratory, Korea Local Information Research and Development Institute, Hwaseong Urban Corporation, Hwaseong Talent Development Foundation, and Hwaseong Cultural Tourism Foundation will participate in the exhibition.

In particular, Hwaseong City will introduce a variety of AI policies in administrative fields through its 'URBAN AI' booth, including the nation’s first crime prevention CCTV AI video surveillance system, AI fire detection cameras, intelligent transportation system (ITS), and AI-based senior healthcare services.

Jung Myung-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong, stated, "This event is more than just a technology exhibition; it is a platform that connects AI technology and industry with policy and administration," adding, "Through this exhibition, Hwaseong City will demonstrate that it is not merely a city that consumes AI technology, but one that actively designs and implements the future of the city itself."