We listened to the planning purpose, concept, and components of Seoul Pavilion through an interview with Kim Hyun-woo, CEO of Seoul Business Agency, who planned the operation of Seoul Pavilion at CES2023 in January 2023.
(Seoul Business Agency is responsible for supporting the overall field of startups and small and medium-sized enterprises in Seoul. Their main tasks include fostering companies as global companies, supporting companies’ investment, supporting companies’ sales growth, strengthening companies’ technological competitiveness, fostering companies’ human resources, supporting companies’ employment, fostering the content industry, and revitalizing industrial bases.)
CEO Kim Hyun-woo explained Seoul Pavilion as follows.
Seoul Business Agency is planning to present a ‘technology-changing vision of Seoul’ through CES (Consumer Electronics Show), the world’s largest tech exhibition. In addition, Seoul Business Agency is planning to introduce promising companies in Seoul to the global market and support their growth. Seoul Business Agency has made various efforts and attempts every year, but the reason why it supports promising companies in Seoul through CES 2023 is to secure Seoul’s global competitiveness.
Seoul Business Agency decided to run Seoul Pavilion at CES 2023, the world’s largest tech exhibition, to establish Seoul’s status as a global brand and foster unicorn companies in new industries by exhibiting promising innovative technologies and promoting policies such as Seoul’s Vision 2030.
Seoul Pavilion planned to operate 2 exhibition halls simultaneously, consisting of “Seoul Tech Pavilion (Main Hall : LVCC)” that displays Seoul’s future vision and innovative technologies, and “K-STARTUP Pavilion (Eureka Park)” that displays startup technologies representing Seoul’s startup ecosystem.
I think it is very meaningful not only for Seoul Business Agency but also for various Korean companies and cities preparing for CES 2023.
Seoul Business Agency is planning to form Seoul Tech Pavilion at LVCC (North Hall), the main exhibition hall of CES, and to present Seoul’s vision as a tech hub and Seoul’s image as a Smart Transportation/Green City through open innovation between major companies and SMEs.
Seoul Tech Pavilion is an exhibition hall that shows ‘Mobility & ESG’ technology that represents Seoul’s future lifestyle. Major companies such as “Korea Aerospace Research Institute, HANCOM InSpace, Lotte Chemical, and S-Oil,” which have core technologies of “Mobility & ESG,” participated, and SMEs that conducted open innovation with major companies participated.
Another exhibition hall, K-STARTUP Pavilion, will be operated by Seoul Business Agency, Seoul Digital Foundation under Seoul Metropolitan Government, and Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development under Ministry of SMEs and Startups. These 3 public institutions create and operate 50 promising SMEs’ exhibition halls, jointly selecting companies that apply for participation and coordinating with companies that will participate in the CES2023 exhibition hall in advance. In addition, each of the 3 public institutions divides the budget to efficiently utilize resources, and integrally promote administration such as the operation of the exhibition hall through role sharing. 17 of the 50 companies participating in the K STARTUP Pavilion have already won the Innovation Awards organized by CES and will showcase Seoul’s excellent technologies.
The K-STARTUP Pavilion consists of 2 spaces,Theme Zone and Tech Zone. Theme Zone will be equipped with a large stereoscopic screen (8m*4m) to showcase anamorphic and 3D images that can realistically realize the future vision of Seoul. UAM,drones, and autonomous vehicles will be presented dynamically through media
art (anamorphic) technology, and the city’s future mobility vision will be delivered through storytelling.
Tech Zone will display innovative technologies from major companies and SMEs in the field of “Smart Mobility” and “Clean Energy” linked to Seoul’s future vision.
“Smart Mobility” space will display urban aviation mobility (UAM) to implement “Smart Transportation City, Seoul,” solar drone technology, low-orbit communication satellites to build infrastructure for smart mobility, and information processing technology of video data through the satellites.
“Clean Energy” space will introduce eco-friendly solutions applicable to future mobility vehicles and infrastructure by creating videos related to hydrogen energy, carbon capture, next-generation batteries, clean energy supply technology in downtown Seoul, and eco-friendly high-tech materials.
It is worth looking forward to the move of Seoul Business Agency, which is doing various things for promising startups and SMEs in Seoul.
SOPHIA KIM
ASIA JOURNAL
