Seoul's Seongbuk-gu announced that it installed an AI-based carbon capture device on the below-ground first floor of Seongbuk General Sports Town (307 Hancheon-ro 58-gil) on June 28. The device captures carbon dioxide (CO₂) produced on-site and converts it into useful resources.
The project is the first in the country to introduce a carbon capture device at a community sports facility used by residents in their daily lives, and it is also the largest carbon capture installation operated by any local government in South Korea.
The installed unit consists of a capture vessel measuring 3,000 mm wide, 2,500 mm tall and 700 mm deep, along with a stirring motor, measurement sensors and a control system. It captures CO₂ emitted directly from the sports town's boilers, with AI measuring and controlling the process in real time.
Unlike devices that absorb CO₂ already dispersed in the atmosphere, this system captures emissions at the source, making it far more efficient, according to Seongbuk-gu.
The district has set a target of capturing up to 198 metric tons of CO₂ per year — an amount equivalent to the annual absorption of 30,000 newly planted 30-year-old pine trees, and an unprecedented level of carbon reduction achieved by a local government at a single facility.
The project was carried out through a public-private partnership via a memorandum of understanding with a climate technology company that won the excellence award in the climate tech category at this year's Seoul Metropolitan Government Environmental Award.
Under the agreement, the climate tech company handles all aspects of the project — installation, operation, real-time monitoring and conversion of the captured solution into resources — while Seongbuk-gu provides the installation site and covers part of the operating costs, including replacement of the capture solution.
The project runs for two years from June 28, 2026, through June 27, 2028, with a possible two-year extension if subsequent analysis confirms strong capture performance.
On June 30, officials from the atmospheric environment bureau of the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy visited Seongbuk General Sports Town to inspect the newly installed device. Bureau staff showed strong interest in the system's source-capture mechanism, its AI-based real-time control system and the process for converting the captured solution into resources. They also discussed the significance of the model — a local government leveraging a community cultural facility to advance carbon neutrality.
With the central government's interest now confirmed, Seongbuk-gu's project is increasingly expected to serve as a leading model for local governments across the country.
Once the trial run is complete, Seongbuk-gu plans to release operational results and link the project to climate and environmental education and hands-on programs for residents and students, using it to raise awareness of carbon neutrality.
"This project is the most practical solution for directly reducing carbon emissions at the heart of residents' everyday spaces," district mayor Lee Seung-ro said. "Through this first-of-its-kind, largest-scale introduction in the country, we will lead the way in a carbon neutrality model driven by local government."
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