Suwon Selected as Host City for 2025 ITS Asia-Pacific Congress

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Suwon has been selected as the host city for the '2025 Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Asia-Pacific Congress.'

Intelligent Transportation Systems apply cutting-edge information and communication technology to transportation vehicles and facilities to enhance safety and convenience, with prominent examples including bus information systems and traffic information systems.

The 'Suwon ITS Asia-Pacific Congress 2025 Hosting Preparation Committee' (co-chairs: Lee Jae-joon, Mayor of Suwon Metropolitan City, and Lee Yong-uk, Director of the Road Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) successfully secured the hosting of the '2025 ITS Asia-Pacific Congress' for Suwon after competing with New Zealand at the final presentation held at the Suzhou Convention Center in China on the 11th.

At the presentation, Suwon presented future ITS visions for major cities, including MaaS (Mobility as a Service), DRT (Demand Responsive Transport), and UAM (Urban Air Mobility). The city also highlighted active support from private enterprises and strong commitment from the government and local authorities.

Following the presentation, 11 countries from the Asia-Pacific board voted, with Suwon defeating New Zealand (Auckland) by one vote.

The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Asia-Pacific Congress, which began in Japan in 1996, is an international conference where countries in the Asia-Pacific region exchange ITS-related public and private technologies and share market trends. It consists of high-level conferences, academic conferences, technology demonstrations, exhibitions, and business consultation sessions.

South Korea previously hosted the 5th Seoul ITS Asia-Pacific Congress in 2002. With Suwon's selection to host the 2025 ITS Asia-Pacific Congress, the conference will be held in South Korea again after 23 years.

The 2025 ITS Asia-Pacific Congress will be held from May 12th to 14th with the participation of approximately 2,500 people from over 20 countries, and 50 institutions and companies will showcase state-of-the-art ITS technology.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held the 'Selection Evaluation Committee for 2025 Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Asia-Pacific Congress Host Cities' on February 15th and selected Suwon as the candidate host city.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport formed the hosting preparation committee with Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, the Korea ITS Society, the Korea Tourism Organization, and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, submitting a letter of intent to host to the ITS Asia-Pacific Secretariat and conducting hosting activities targeting Asia-Pacific countries with voting rights.

A city official stated, "We achieved good results through hosting activities in close cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport," adding "Securing the 2025 ITS Asia-Pacific Congress will serve as an opportunity for Suwon to establish itself as a leading ITS city and a center of the MICE industry."