SUWON — Suwon will build smart city services using physical artificial intelligence in parts of Paldal District, including Suwon Station and the Hwaseo and Godeung neighborhoods.
The city said on the 28th that it held a kickoff briefing for the "Suwon Hub-Type Smart City Development Project" in a conference room at city hall the previous day.
The project is part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's 2026 hub-type smart city development program. Suwon was selected through a competitive call in June this year and will receive up to 16 billion won ($11.2 million) in state funding over the next three years.
The program designates specific areas as testbeds for smart city technology. The aim is to spread verified technologies and services to other cities.
Suwon will focus the project on the Suwon Station area and the Hwaseo and Godeung neighborhoods, which draw heavy foot traffic. The city will introduce services based on physical AI and support technology demonstrations by private companies. Through this, it plans to establish a data-driven system for running the city.
At the core of the project are four hubs. Suwon will build a transit hub, a civic convenience hub, a safety and disaster hub, and an inclusion and education hub to address urban problems.
In transportation, the city will use car sharing and parking robots to create a smart mobility environment and make travel within the city center easier.
For civic convenience, the city will set up a citizen engagement center and a robot delivery service for traditional markets. Applying robotics to everyday settings will expand services that residents can feel directly.
In safety and disaster response, patrol robots and a disaster response platform will be introduced. The measures are intended to strengthen systems for quickly detecting and responding to hazards.
For inclusion and education, the city will run wearable physical AI health care services and a physical AI startup support center. The effort combines health management for residents with training talent for future industries.
Eight organizations are taking part: the Suwon City Foundation, Hyundai Motor, Kia, KEPCO KDN, CL Mobility, Gaon Robotics, Colosseum Corporation, and YoungKuk C&P.
Lee Jae-joon, mayor of Suwon, attended the kickoff briefing along with officials from the participating organizations and staff from relevant departments.
"Smart city services must put residents' convenience first," Lee said. "I ask that this be carried out systematically so the results of this demonstration project can be applied to other Suwon policies and spread nationwide."