Gangneung City showcases a mobility model for small and midsize cities to the world at ITS World Congress

[Financial News, Gangneung = Kim Gi-seop, reporter] The 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress, which drew a cumulative attendance of more than 60,000 from 91 countries worldwide, closed after setting the highest attendance of any World Congress held in the past 20 years with a new approach that used the entire city as a test bed for advanced transportation.
According to Gangneung City on the 27th, the congress, the world’s largest convention in the field of intelligent transportation systems, was held for five days, from the 19th to the 23rd, in and around Gangneung Olympic Park. By official event attendance, it drew the largest number of participants of any World Congress held in the past 20 years. Its 91 participating countries ranked third in the event’s history, after the 22nd congress in Bordeaux and the 25th in Copenhagen. ITS chief executives from three continents who attended the congress also rated it the most successful in history in every respect, including the number of participating countries, visitor numbers and event satisfaction.
Unlike previous congresses, which were centered on indoor exhibition halls, this one expanded its event spaces across the city. The outdoor plaza at Olympic Park was transformed into a large-scale ITS Park and event venue, attracting more than 43,000 people over five days. Advanced ITS test roads were established throughout the city of Gangneung, allowing participants to experience autonomous driving, real-time signal control and demand-responsive transport firsthand. Ice shows, drone shows, K-music concerts, local markets and other events involving residents also helped transform an academic event focused on experts into a mobility festival enjoyed by people from around the world and local residents alike.


The effort to adapt the ITS vision, traditionally discussed mainly with large cities in mind, to small and midsize cities also drew attention. Gangneung presented transportation infrastructure tailored to its population structure and characteristics as a tourism city, demand-responsive transport combining tourism with transport welfare, and an AI-based real-time traffic management system. It offered a model that small and midsize cities around the world could adopt immediately. The city plans to bring the ITS infrastructure validated at the congress, autonomous shuttles and smart traffic solutions into residents’ daily lives, further strengthening its position as a leading smart mobility city.
Overseas delegations also responded enthusiastically. Global delegates said, “This is the first congress to bring together advanced mobility technologies and an eco-friendly venue that makes full use of Olympic facilities and urban infrastructure,” and added, “The approach Gangneung has demonstrated will serve as a model for future World Congresses.”
Diplomatic outreach and efforts to attract businesses were also active during the congress. Gangneung City signed a business agreement with Lotte Innovate to lay the foundations for a leading AI mobility city. It also held a series of bilateral meetings with overseas delegations from Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Birmingham in the United Kingdom, ITS Europe (ERTICO), ITS America, ITS Asia-Pacific and China, expanding its cooperative ties. Gangneung Mayor Kim Jung-nam personally visited every booth in the exhibition hall and sounded out promising companies in AI and ITS about their interest in investing in Gangneung.
Gangneung Mayor Kim Jung-nam said, “Through this congress, which put the entire city forward as a test bed, we showed that small and midsize cities can also lead global transportation innovation. I am deeply grateful to the residents who took the inconvenience in stride and joined us during the event. We will extend autonomous shuttles and smart transportation infrastructure into everyday life across the city and develop Gangneung into a mobility city on par with the world’s best.”

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter