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FNF South Korea Seminar on Smart City: Now and the Future
FNF South Korea Seminar on Smart City: Now and the Future

FNF South Korea Seminar on Smart Cities

FNF South Korea Seminar on Smart Cities held on 30th of March 2022

Smart City is no longer just a futuristic buzzword for 2022, but a real and tangible solution for rapid urbanization; as demonstrated by the seminar held by FNF South Korea and POSCO TJ Park Foundation on the 30th of March. Aligned with the importance of technology, this Hybrid Event was conducted in Korean with simultaneous translation in English.  

The esteemed speaker, Daeyeon Cho, is a senior researcher for the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement. In his presentation, he points to key examples of how smart cities is being rapidly integrated into countries such as the UK, France, USA and South Korea.

He begins by defining ‘Smart city’ as the amalgamation between the digital data and the physical world. The aim of smart cities is to create an environment for humans to live a more comfortable, happier and safer life. He emphasized that for smart cities to be ‘successful’ it should not solely be technology at the forefront, instead, it should be driven by the needs and wants of the people.

Seminar on Smart Cities

A Hybrid Event allows students from all over the world to join and ask questions around the development of a Smart City. 

The four integral system where artificial intelligence can be integrated includes the management of; energy, water, transportation, and waste. Data collected regarding the usage of these systems can help to create a more accessible and sustainable way of living.  For example, in France, congestion in the metro during rush hours was becoming problematic. This led to researchers to analyse the demographics of metro users. They concluded that students and university faculty members made up a large proportion of the population who used the services during that specific time. By applying data to real life solutions, the researchers suggested for lectures and seminars to start 10 minutes later. This resulted in metro congestion being resolved over night.

The seminar also addressed the concerns of the usage of personal data and the pitfalls of this technology. The primary concern was in regards to data privacy and accessibility. Daeyeon Cho elucidated that Smart cities must rely on policies to strengthen digital democracy which will help to build social trust and confidence. Investing in Cybersecurity will also be critical. Smart city technology will also requires constant maintenance and upgrades of the system to keep up with technological advancements. 

Daeyeon Cho concluded that Smart Cities is not just an idea but a social movement to build a better life for us and the future generations.

*Sky Chatuchinda is the regional communication officer for the office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Bangkok, Thailand.