ASEAN, population of 650 million, average annual growth rate of 7%
Korea, ASEAN pledge cooperation at Smart City Ministerial Meeting
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport presents 4 ASEAN smart city cooperation plans


A ministerial-level consultative body for cooperation in the smart city sector between Korea and 10 ASEAN countries will be established.

The Korea-ASEAN Smart City Ministerial Meeting, hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Special Committee on New Southern Policy, was held in Busan on the 25th.

The 'ASEAN-ROK Smart City Ministerial Meeting', held for the first time between ASEAN and Korea, was an event where ministers and vice-ministers from member countries and the ASEAN Secretary-General gathered to share solutions to urban problems in each country and promise continued cooperation, taking advantage of the '2019 ASEAN-ROK Special Summit'.

ASEAN is currently a rising market for overseas infrastructure projects, with a population of 650 million and an average annual growth rate of 6-7%. The government aims to increase trade volume from the current $160 billion to $200 billion by 2020.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport shared the results of smart city cooperation between Korea and ASEAN in the areas of urban development, safety, transportation, and water management, and presented four ways to further expand such cooperation.

First, we plan to establish the 'K-SCON (Korea Smart City Open Network)' starting in 2020 and support the establishment of comprehensive plans and preliminary feasibility studies for four ASEAN countries selected through an international competition so that they can be linked to this project.

Secondly, we plan to create a 'Global Plant, Construction, and Smart City (PIS) Fund' worth 1.5 trillion won, of which approximately 300 billion won will be invested in ASEAN smart city development projects.

Thirdly, we plan to establish a smart city global cooperation center within and outside the four ASEAN countries to jointly discover promising projects and strengthen networking between Korean and ASEAN companies and governments.

Fourth, to expand human exchanges, we plan to develop a training program specialized in smart cities to share Korea’s urban development experience and ICT solutions.

The meeting also signed three MOUs to promote specific smart city cooperation projects between Korean public institutions and ASEAN local governments and public institutions.

The Korea Environment Institute and Cambodia's Battambang Province have agreed to cooperate in the field of drainage systems, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation and Malaysia's Sabah Province have agreed to cooperate in the field of smart city development, and the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements and the Transport Research Institute have agreed to cooperate in the field of smart transportation and urban development with Thailand's Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA).

In addition, during this special summit, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will hold talks with Singapore and Brunei.Each ministerial level MOU was signed and comprehensive cooperation for smart city development was solidified.

Kim Hyun-mee, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “Smart cities are an important topic for ASEAN countries facing various urban problems such as population concentration and water disasters,” and added, “It is a time when a cooperative platform is needed to exchange Korea’s smart city policies and technologies with ASEAN countries.”

He emphasized, “Today’s ministerial meeting is an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in the smart city sector with ASEAN member countries,” and “It will not only expand our companies’ entry into overseas construction markets, but also play a role in realizing mutual prosperity between our country and ASEAN.”