Gangneung gears up for ITS World Congress
An aerial view of Gangneung Convention Center, a venue for the 32nd ITS World Congress, in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Oct. 7 / Yonhap
From robot parking to self-driving cars, event to showcase smarter mobility for smaller cities
Gangneung aims to show that the future of mobility extends beyond big cities, bringing self-driving vehicles, smart traffic systems and global transport leaders to a tourism hub where visitor traffic overlaps with residents’ daily travel needs.
The 32nd ITS World Congress will open on Monday for a five-day run at Gangneung Olympic Park and adjacent venues in Gangwon Province. Jointly hosted by Gangneung City and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the gathering is expected to draw about 60,000 visitors from around 90 countries, according to organizers.
Under this year’s theme, “Beyond Mobility, Connected World,” the event will bring together policymakers, researchers and business representatives for high-level meetings, academic sessions, exhibitions and demonstrations of advanced transport technologies.
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) integrate information and communications technologies into roads, vehicles, traffic signals and control centers to improve transport efficiency and safety. Examples include real-time traffic information and priority signals that help emergency vehicles pass through intersections.
For Gangneung, the focus is on how these emerging technologies can help a smaller city accommodate tourists while meeting residents’ everyday transport needs.
“Big cities have their own transport problems, as do small and midsize cities. In Gangneung, a tourism hub, one challenge is managing visitor traffic alongside residents’ everyday travel needs,” an organizer said.
“At this Congress, ITS is presented not merely as a technology to speed up traffic flow, but as a means of connecting people and cities, tourism and daily life, technology and culture, and local regions with the world. That idea underpins the theme.”
This vision will take practical form in demonstrations of autonomous shuttles, robots that automatically park cars and systems that use LiDAR and voice guidance to help pedestrians cross safely. Other planned demonstrations include artificial intelligence-based detection of seat belt use and vehicle-to-vehicle communications during sudden lane changes.
The event will also introduce K-MaaS, a service platform designed to connect rail, bus and taxi searches, reservations and payments.
The exhibition will show how these technologies fit into a connected transport network — with vehicles exchanging information with road infrastructure and control centers analyzing data to manage traffic and inform travelers — rather than showcasing individual technologies alone.
Organizers say all 434 exhibition booths have been sold and the event will feature 109 companies and institutions — 72 from Korea and 37 from overseas.
Guests applaud as confetti falls during the opening ceremony for the Gangneung Convention Center in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Aug. 26. Yonhap
The international event will also give the city’s Olympic facilities a new role. The speed skating arena used during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics will house the exhibition, while the hockey center’s parking lot will host technology demonstrations. The hockey center itself will stage an ice show.
Technical tours will take visitors beyond the exhibition venues to facilities already operating these systems. At Gangneung’s city information center, they will examine CCTV monitoring, traffic signal control and real-time traffic information management.
Beyond the technology program, attendees can also enjoy drone and ice shows, cultural performances and a market featuring local small businesses. The Gangneung Coffee Festival will run from Oct. 21-25, overlapping with the congress.
Gangneung is the third Korean city to host the ITS World Congress, following Seoul in 1998 and Busan in 2010. It secured the hosting rights in September 2022, defeating Taipei with a bid that drew on its experience hosting events during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.