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| Officials of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Gangneung City pose for a photo after Gangneung won the bid to host 2026 Intelligent Transport System (ITS) World Congress over Taiwan at the LA Convention in the U.S., Saturday (local time). |
By Lee Kyung-min
Korea will host the 2026 Intelligent Transport System (ITS) World Congress in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, the transport ministry said Sunday.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the eastern city won its bid to hold the international event over Taiwan at the LA Convention in the U.S., Saturday (local time).
Held every year, the ITS World Congress is the largest international exhibition and academic conference in the transport community. Seoul held the event in 1998 and Busan hosted it in 2010.
Countries in three regions ― the Americas, Europe and the Asia Pacific ― take turns holding the event following a vote from ITS Board of Director countries. The first event took place in 1994 in Paris, France.
The ministry selected Gangneung as a candidate city in 2020, and has since spent 36 billion won ($25 million) over the past two years to improve overall transport and city infrastructure.
Also advancing the efforts was a team of public-private sector officials including those from the foreign ministry, municipal governments of Gangneung and Gangwon, Korea Expressway Corp., ITS Association, Hyundai Motor, SK, KT, and LG.
The 32nd ITS World General Assembly will be held in 2026, attended by 100 countries, It wil offer academic sessions, exhibitions, latest transport technology demonstrations and business consultations. Over 60,000 participants from around the world are expected to take part.
Korea's ITS technologies will be shared with its global peers in Gangneung, the perfect venue where leading Korean firms will be able to seek overseas expansion backed by government assistance and promotional efforts.
Among the technologies are incorporating smart city solutions and Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) and autonomous driving, key ways to bolster effective city planning and management. C-ITS is used to enhance transport safety via vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications.
"The ITS World Congress is expected to generate 372.9 billion won in economic value, and create over 2,000 jobs," the ministry said in a statement.
"Gangneung is the city with a capability of holding large global events, a strength highlighted by its rich tourism resources. The event will elevate the standing of not only the city, but also the country on the global stage," it added.
