Hwaseong Special City Declares 'AI Future City Hwaseong'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Chan-hyuk] Hwaseong Special City inaugurated the "MARS 2025" (Mega City AI Revolution Summit), Korea's first artificial intelligence expo hosted by a local government, at COEX in Seoul on the 18th.

The opening ceremony was held at 10 a.m. in Conference Room 401 at COEX.

The opening ceremony was attended by Mayor Jung Myeong-geun of Hwaseong, Chairman Bae Jung-su of the Hwaseong City Council, Vice Speaker Lee Hak-young of the National Assembly, Broadcasting and Communications Committee Chair Choi Min-hee, National Assembly members Kwon Chil-seung, Lee Jun-suk, Jung Dong-young, Seo Young-gyo, Kim Jong-min, Yom Tae-young, Kim Sung-hoe, Kwon Hyang-yeop, Kim Moon-soo, and Park Min-gyu, Vice Governor Ko Young-in of Gyeonggi Province, Vice District Chief Choi Kyung-joo of Seongbuk-gu, and Vice Mayor Min Seon-sik of Namwon City.

Additionally, representatives from major domestic and international companies including Amazon Web Services, ASML, Hyundai Motor Group, Samsung Electronics, LG U+, and Shinsegae Property, as well as approximately 400 domestic and international guests including Professor Dennis Hong from UCLA, a world-renowned robotics scholar, attended, creating a grand event.

The opening ceremony began with an AI-based AR drawing performance, and the world-class humanoid robot 'Ameca' appeared on stage via video to declare the grand opening of "MARS 2025." This was followed by a collaborative performance between humans and artificial intelligence, with composer Kim Hyung-suk's piano performance accompanying a melody composed by AI.

Mayor Jung Myeong-geun of Hwaseong stated in his opening address, "MARS 2025 is both a declaration that Hwaseong Special City will leap forward as an AI city and a strong demonstration of the local government's commitment to taking the lead in the AI era," and added, "Hwaseong will grow into a foundation for building an AI superpower and a hub for global cooperation, realizing a happy AI-based society where all participate together."

Keynote speaker Professor Dennis Hong of UCLA, a world-renowned roboticist, delivered a lecture centered on the theme of 'Collaboration Structure of Urban AI and Robotics.' Professor Hong introduced various robots including humanoid robots through video and emphasized, "AI exists in cyberspace, but robots are needed as physical entities for implementation in reality," and "integration of AI and robots is key to actual operation of urban intelligence."

After the opening ceremony, Mayor Jung Myeong-geun visited booths in the COEX Hall C exhibition and had a brief conversation with the humanoid robot 'Ameca.'

In response to Mayor Jung's question, "What is the future vision of Hwaseong Special City?", the Ameca robot answered, "The future vision of the special city is to create a city where everyone can live comfortably through AI and smart administration. We are dreaming of the future through balanced development and innovation," drawing positive responses from visitors.

"MARS 2025" runs through the 20th and features a large-scale exhibition, forum, and hands-on program involving 224 booths and 43 speakers. On the first day, the 18th, AI lectures, data forum, university student policy discussion forum, MARS 2025 SUMMIT, demo day and networking will follow. In particular, the demo day starting at 2 p.m. will feature IR pitches and investment consultations from 12 global investors from 6 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, and Hong Kong, and approximately 20 AI startups, drawing significant attention from visitors.