The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Jan. 8 opened Smart City Portal, which offers information on Korean smart cities such as policy, regulations and technology. (Screen capture from portal's English-language page)

By Kang Gahui and Kim Hwaya

A new website offers information on the past, present and future of Korean smart cities.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Jan. 8 opened Smart City Portal (https://smartcity.go.kr/en) with versions in both Korean and English. Started under the policy for the Ubiquitous City (U-City) project of the early 2000s, the site contains smart city information compiled over the last ten years and related sections.

For user convenience, the portal has the sections "About Us," "Policy," "Project," "R&D," "Governance," "Global smart city" and "News."

The Policy section allows browsing and downloading of data related to laws and systems, regulations, national projects and smart city urban planning. Users can also easily search for news releases from relevant ministries or provincial government offices, and the portal provides academic information in collaboration with the Architecture and Urban Research Information Center.

The website also offers data on central government bodies such as the Presidential Smart City Special Committee under the 4th Industrial Revolution Committee and the National Smart Cities Committee under the ministry and a national council of local autonomous groups comprising 119 metropolitan city and provincial groups.

Visitors can check the smart technology and services of members of the Convergence Alliance, which consists of private companies.

Bae Sung-ho, director of the ministry's Urban Economy Division, said, "We received numerous inquiries from abroad on Korea's smart city policy but we couldn't provide enough documents in English," adding, "(Through this website), we expect to provide assistance on policy, systems and technology related to Korean smart cities to a variety of people curious about them."

kgh89@korea.kr