[New Transportation Poverty Report] ④ Youngtae Kim, OECD ITF Secretary-General: "Megacities Face Their Limits"

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"Korean System Lacks in Building a Global Platform"

Youngtae Kim, Secretary-General of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) International Transport Forum (ITF), believes that most megacities around the world, including Seoul, are facing the limits of their transportation systems. He judges that by approaching transportation solely as a means for speed and convenience, cities have failed to address complex, multifaceted issues.

This is why Secretary-General Kim, who leads the ITF?the ministerial-level body responsible for transport policy within the OECD?emphasized in an interview with Asia Economy on July 7, 2025, that "transportation should be recognized as a subordinate strategy that supports national land development, regional development, and urban development, rather than an end in itself." He stated that transportation policy should be managed as a system that supports other policy areas, such as commuting congestion, greenhouse gas reduction, population decline, and aging.

Youngtae Kim, Secretary General of OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) ITF (International Transport Forum). International Transport Forum

After becoming the first Korean to reach the highest rank (A7) in the OECD in 2017, Kim has focused his attention on expanding synergies between transportation and other industrial sectors. He sees the lack of integration with other industries as a primary reason why megacities such as Paris, Tokyo, and London, in addition to Seoul, are all facing similar transportation challenges.

Secretary-General Kim stated, "Because transportation is closely connected to various sectors such as the economy, industry, tourism, and health, strengthening cooperation with these fields can generate greater synergy from a single policy," adding, "It is important to gradually expand the scope of cooperation."

Regarding the emergence of new transportation-poor groups, such as residents in infrastructure-deprived areas due to population decline and the growing elderly population as a result of aging, he stressed the need for a multifaceted approach and response. He explained, "The supply of transportation infrastructure is based on cost-benefit analysis, and population decline leads to reduced benefits, which can negatively impact the long-term supply of transportation infrastructure. Population decline and aging are issues directly linked to Korea's growth, so it is desirable to concentrate national capabilities based on a comprehensive perspective, rather than merely changing transportation policy in the short term."

Secretary-General Kim also introduced that the ITF is conducting research on ways to provide sustainable transportation services to transportation-deprived areas such as rural regions, as well as on improving accessibility for all age groups, including the elderly. He believes that simple approaches such as expanding infrastructure or implementing free policies are far from fundamental solutions and could lead to policy imbalances in the long term.

In particular, Kim emphasized, "It is important to remember that Europe's free public transportation policies have different objectives from those in Korea, which are pursued from a welfare perspective." In Europe, such policies reflect multiple objectives: reducing high dependence on private cars to ease congestion costs, responding to climate crises such as global warming, and expanding benefits from an inclusive perspective. He added, "Ultimately, free public transportation policies need to be addressed from the perspectives of sustainability and national consensus."

He also expressed concern about the emergence of transportation-poor groups due to the 'digital divide.' As new transportation services are increasingly provided via mobile platforms thanks to advances in ICT and the widespread use of smartphones, those who struggle to adapt to these changes are at risk of further exclusion.

This is why he stressed the need to establish a cooperative system between traditional transportation modes and shared mobility systems, such as shared bicycles and e-scooters. Secretary-General Kim noted, "As seen in Paris, where shared e-scooters were banned due to poor management and safety issues, a lack of regulation could actually threaten the very existence of new services."

Regarding alternatives to overcrowding in megacities, such as Seoul’s ongoing projects for railway undergrounding, new underground roads, and urban air mobility (UAM), Kim expressed both expectations and concerns. He predicted, "Given limited resources and other constraints, these large-scale projects will transform the urban spatial structure of the entire Seoul metropolitan area by minimizing the use of above-ground space."

However, he stated, "The highest priority in transportation must always be safety." He added, "Since Korea's pilot project approach is currently in the process of verifying whether it can sufficiently guarantee user safety, it is necessary to carefully examine whether safety issues for new services are adequately addressed, while also gradually updating relevant laws and procedures."

Secretary-General Kim expressed some disappointment regarding Korea’s transportation system. While Seoul’s transportation system is so advanced that it is benchmarked by other countries, he pointed out that these elements have not been established as a global platform. He stated, "Now is the time for the public and private sectors to actively collaborate and leverage the global network that has been built up over a long period."