2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress opens on the 19th, with some 60,000 people from more than 90 countries expected at Olympic Park

【Financial News, Gangneung = Reporter Kim Gi-seop】The largest international event in the intelligent transport systems (ITS) sector, expected to draw around 60,000 visitors from more than 90 countries worldwide, opens at Gangneung Olympic Park on the 19th.
According to Gangneung City on the 16th, the 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress, co-hosted by the city and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, will run for five days, from the 19th to the 23rd, under the theme “A World United Beyond Mobility.” Intelligent transport systems are next-generation transport systems that combine advanced information and communications technology with transport modes and infrastructure to improve efficiency and safety. Gangneung City has introduced smart intersections and crosswalks, priority signals for emergency vehicles, and autonomous buses, among other measures. During the congress, it plans to let visitors ride in autonomous vehicles that circle Olympic Park.
Academic sessions at the Gangneung Convention Center will discuss autonomous driving, AI-based traffic signal control, demand-responsive transport, and protecting vulnerable road users. A technology exhibition at the speed skating venue will feature 108 domestic and international organizations and companies, including Hyundai Motor, Lotte Innovate, Google, Qualcomm, Toyota, and Honda.


There will also be a wide range of free events for the general public. For all five days, Olympic Park’s outdoor plaza will host science and technology activities—including AI autonomous driving experiences, VR truck rides, mini-robot soccer, and drone soccer—as well as a local market, food zone, and busking performances. Three celebratory performances are scheduled. A drone light show featuring 3,500 drones will mark the opening at 8 p.m. on the 19th. A figure-skating performance featuring athletes Cha Jun-hwan and Lee Hae-in will take place at 7 p.m. on the 22nd at the Gangneung Hockey Center, and a K-music concert will close the festivities at 6 p.m. on the 23rd.
Gangneung City will increase the frequency of city buses on routes 202 and 202-1, which pass through Olympic Park, from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes. Access by regular vehicles will be restricted at the parking lots at the convention center and speed skating venue. Instead, the city will operate dedicated parking lots with at least 1,850 spaces, including areas south of the hockey center, Gangneung Arena, and the sports complex. Traffic will be restricted from the Olympic Park roundabout to the Songjukwon three-way intersection from 7 p.m. to 8:40 p.m. on the 19th, when the drone show takes place. Advance registration for the exhibition closed on the 9th, but visitors can register on site and enter. Anyone can attend the outdoor events and drone show without registering.
Gangneung Mayor Kim Jung-nam said, “This will be an opportunity to showcase to the world the transport services that citizens have enjoyed in their daily lives, such as autonomous buses and smart crosswalks.” He added, “The drone show and outdoor activities can be enjoyed without separate registration, so I hope many people will visit Olympic Park and see for themselves how Gangneung’s future will become even safer and more convenient.”

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter