The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that the '2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Smart Mobility Forum' will take place from October 14 to 16 at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul.
The forum will feature government representatives from 10 APEC member economies, along with domestic and international experts and industry stakeholders, who will share policy and operational examples of future transportation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous driving, and discuss collaboration strategies.
Building on the 'APEC Smart Mobility Recommendations' established during last year's forum, which was led by South Korea, the Ministry plans to expand discussions this year. The recommendations outline 10 collaborative directions for promoting smart mobility, focusing on integration, connectivity, innovation, prosperity, and human-centered approaches.
On the first day, October 14, the forum will commence with opening remarks from Jeong Ik-kyung, the Second Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, followed by a keynote speech and policy dialogues among member economies. Hwang Gi-yeon, a visiting professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), will address safety and accountability issues in the era of fully autonomous driving, while Mike Brown, chair of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Intelligent Transportation Systems Technical Committee, will present a vision for 'cognitive mobility' that combines AI with intelligent infrastructure, vehicles, and international standards.
APEC government representatives will share their experiences with smart mobility policies and discuss the implementation status of last year's recommendations and future collaboration directions. A 'Future Mobility Dialogue with Youth' will also take place, featuring mobility industry representatives and young panelists from both domestic and international backgrounds.
On October 15, specialized sessions will be held in three areas: policy, operations, and technology. The policy session will cover relevant systems, international standards, and data governance, while the operations session will share practical operational and demonstration cases from member economies. The technology session will address key challenges in future transportation, including AI, autonomous driving, digital infrastructure, and safety management for autonomous vehicles.
A program to support the international expansion of domestic mobility companies will also be established. On the afternoon of October 14, business meetings will be held between domestic companies and transportation officials from APEC member economies, and on the final day, October 16, a technical visit will take place at the Korea Expressway Corporation Traffic Information Center and the Samsung Innovation Museum.
Hong Ji-sun, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "As technologies such as AI and autonomous driving rapidly advance, it is crucial to connect policy, operations, and technology organically to realize safe and convenient mobility centered on people. We will continue to share experiences in smart mobility with APEC member economies and maintain practical cooperation going forward."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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