Gangneung ITS World Congress wraps up as participants from 90 countries share a blueprint for future transportation

【Financial News, Gangneung = Reporter Kim Gi-seop】The 2026 Gangneung ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) World Congress, which transformed Olympic stadiums and outdoor plazas into an immersive future transportation experience and drew experts and citizens alike, concluded its five-day program to acclaim from participants from around 90 countries.
According to Gangneung City on the 23rd, transportation experts, government officials, businesspeople and citizens from about 90 countries around the world took part in the congress, held in and around Gangneung Olympic Park. The approach of combining public science and technology experiences and cultural events with official events focused on advanced technology drew attention, prompting delegates from various countries to call it the best congress ever.
Overseas delegations named ITS Park, created using the stadiums and plazas, as the congress’s greatest achievement. Delegation officials said, “Thanks to ITS Park, which brings the stadiums and plazas together, academic events for experts have expanded into a festival where people of all ages can experience future mobility firsthand,” adding, “Future world congresses will also be prepared with Gangneung’s successful approach as a model.”
The closing ceremony was held at 2 p.m. that day at the Convention Hall of the Gangneung Convention Center, with prominent figures from Korea and abroad and congress officials in attendance. After a report on the congress’s achievements, a ceremony was held to hand the ITS Globe, the congress’s symbol, to the next host city, and Gangneung Mayor Kim Jung-nam personally presented awards to researchers whose papers featured outstanding ideas. From 6 p.m., a K-music concert will be held in the outdoor plaza in front of the Olympic Park Hockey Center, bringing overseas participants and citizens together and capping the congress’s final night.
Gangneung City plans to make the ITS infrastructure, autonomous-driving test road and AI-based traffic management system developed for the congress a part of residents’ daily lives even after the event. Its goal is to implement transportation innovation, traditionally centered on large cities, on a scale suited to small and medium-sized cities.
Gangneung Mayor Kim Jung-nam said, “Participants from 90 countries confirmed in Gangneung that transportation innovation is possible in small and medium-sized cities, not just large ones,” adding, “We will bring into everyday life the technologies residents experienced firsthand at ITS Park and build a smart mobility city where the autonomous-driving test road and artificial intelligence traffic management system make residents’ journeys safer and more convenient.”

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter