Seoul to host 'Smart Life Week' tech expo next month

An international tech exposition showcasing how technology can help people and urban living will take place at Coex in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul next month, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday.

Scheduled to take place Oct. 10-12, the Seoul Smart Life Week will feature exhibitions hosted by local companies showcasing the newest technologies and products under the theme of urban living. It will also host international conferences and forums as a platform for cities around the world to share technology trends and ideas while also fostering dialogue between city representatives and companies to work together to map out innovative cities for the future.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government emphasized that while most information and communications technology expos focus on introducing the latest technologies and products, Seoul Smart Life Week plans to focus on showing how technology can be in harmony with people’s daily lives and how people can benefit from such technologies.

According to the city government, this year’s event will include a showroom where visitors can try out innovative and advanced technologies. The showroom will operate under 12 different themes, including consumer robots, changes in housing, innovation in roads, future mobility, welfare and safe living environments. A total of 42 different companies, including conglomerates and small and medium-sized enterprises, will be in participation.

Additionally, an exhibition center hosted by 95 different companies will showcase some representative technologies for smart cities, under the themes of tourism, innovative technologies, mobility and technology for the vulnerable.

This year’s exhibition will feature up to 137 domestic companies, including South Korea’s leading conglomerates such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor and SK Telecom.

Meanwhile, Seoul Smart Life Week was first mentioned during the 2024 Seoul Innovation Forum in Las Vegas on Jan. 11, with a goal to turn the event into a platform similar to the international tech trade show CES in the coming years.

“We are striving to make Seoul Smart Life Week into an innovative platform that connects technologies and the people to improve their quality of life,” said Park Jin-young, director general of the city government’s Digital City Bureau.