‘Transport Olympics’ 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress opens on the 19th

60,000 participants from over 90 countries... The theme is ‘A world that becomes one beyond mobility’

(Gangneung = Yonhap News) Reporter Hyungjae Hyung = The '2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress', the world's largest international event in the field of intelligent transportation systems (ITS), opens on the 19th.

This general meeting, co-hosted by Gangneung City and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, will be held from the 19th to the 23rd in Gangneung Olympic Park under the theme of 'Beyond Mobility, Connected World'.

The opening ceremony will be held on the morning of the 19th at the Gangneung Convention Center Convention Hall with over 2,000 key figures in attendance, and will consist of an opening performance, opening declaration, opening speech, welcome speech, congratulatory speech by continent, theme video, keynote speech, Hall of Fame awards, message wishing for the success of the general meeting, and closing ceremony.

Then, in the afternoon, a ministerial meeting will be held at the Seamarq Hotel in Gangneung on the topic of future transportation innovation through artificial intelligence (AI)-based ITS.

The city expects that about 60,000 government officials, academics, businessmen and visitors from over 90 countries around the world will attend the general meeting, known as the Transportation Olympics.

ITS, which will be introduced at this event, is a next-generation transportation system that maximizes transportation efficiency and safety by applying cutting-edge information and communication technology (IT) to transportation methods and transportation facilities.

Gangneung City, the host city, has established itself as Korea's representative 'small and medium-sized smart mobility leading city' by building various ITS infrastructure and services such as smart intersections, smart crosswalks, real-time signal information provision, emergency vehicle priority signals, and self-driving buses throughout the city.

At this general meeting, Gangneung City's self-driving service that circulates around the Olympic Park will be introduced so that citizens and visitors can ride and experience it for themselves.

This World Congress will consist of a variety of official programs that present the direction of future mobility from various angles, including academics, exhibitions, and technology demonstrations.

The academic session held at the Gangneung Convention Center will intensively discuss global transportation issues and future vision, including autonomous driving technology, AI-based advanced traffic signal control, demand-responsive transportation (DRT) and shared mobility, protection of the transportation vulnerable, and eco-friendly green ITS.

The technology exhibition held at the speed skating stadium will feature the participation of 108 domestic and foreign institutions and companies, including Gangneung City, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Hyundai Motor Company, Lotte Novate, Google, Qualcomm, Toyota, and Honda, to display the world's best technologies and vision in the fields of autonomous driving, ITS, and AI.

A variety of free side events that can be enjoyed by not only experts but also ordinary citizens and tourists will be held throughout the Olympic Park venue.

In particular, during the five days of the general meeting, science and technology experience events such as AI self-driving experience, mobility making, VR truck experience, mini robot soccer, drone simulator, and drone soccer will be held at the auxiliary event hall at the Olympic Park outdoor plaza.

In addition, cultural experience booths, a Gangneung City public relations center, a local market, a food zone, and busking performances will also be set up to captivate visitors' five senses.

Large-scale performances commemorating the ITS World Congress will also be held three times during the event.

On the opening day, the 19th, a total of 3,500 drone light shows will be held in the night sky near the convention center to reveal the vision of future transportation and the opening of the ITS World Congress.

On the 22nd, a special figure skating performance commemorating the general meeting will be held at the Gangneung Hockey Center featuring national figure skating representatives Cha Jun-hwan and Lee Hae-in, and on the 23rd, a K-Music Concert will be held at the plaza in front of the hockey auxiliary stadium to mark the finale of the general meeting.

During the general meeting, Gangneung City will operate visitor transportation and parking measures for convenience of movement.

The interval between city buses passing through Olympic Park will be shortened from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, and shuttle buses that circulate around the city center and major tourist attractions will also be operated.

Gangneung Mayor Kim Jung-nam said, "The 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress will be a venue for a future mobility festival where cutting-edge technology and citizens' lives come together. We hope that many citizens and visitors will visit the site and fully experience Gangneung's convenient and safe future that the development of ITS and mobility will change."