Chuncheon launches AI-integrated city initiative covering welfare, administration, disaster response

Chuncheon announced Monday that it will formally introduce AI across key areas of civic life, including welfare services, the living environment and disaster safety.

The initiative, funded through a supplementary budget, marks the first implementation phase of a broader push to shift city services, administrative operations and local industry toward an AI-centered model. Funding for training specialized personnel was also included in the supplementary budget.

Under a welfare check service for single-person households, AI will analyze electricity and communications data to detect unusual lifestyle patterns and alert case workers. The program will expand its coverage from 200 to 500 people, strengthening a contactless safety net designed to identify crises among people living alone at an early stage.

Chuncheon will also pilot 10 AI-equipped devices in designated disabled parking zones within the city hall compound. The devices will automatically read license plates and issue real-time warnings and citations to reduce illegal parking and improve mobility for people with limited transportation access.

In waste management, AI will analyze CCTV footage to detect illegal dumping, track when waste is left out and when it is removed, and identify areas where violations recur.

For disaster safety, the city will install monitoring equipment on aging road infrastructure such as bridges. AI will analyze the collected data to predict risk levels and detect warning signs early, establishing a proactive safety management system.

On the public engagement side, the city plans to create an AI robot experience zone at a toy robot center and introduce immersive video content along with AI and digital art education at local libraries. The aim is to make AI and digital technology accessible and approachable for residents of all ages.

Chuncheon will run an AI pilot group of about 10 city officials who will use generative AI and coding tools to identify areas in their own administrative work that need improvement and develop new service solutions. The group will operate on a project basis, and successful cases will be shared across other departments. The goal is to reduce repetitive tasks through AI so that officials can focus more on work that directly benefits residents.

The city will also deploy AI to counter increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, building an intelligent persistent threat response security system that detects and analyzes network anomalies and threats in real time to strengthen defenses against malware and abnormal traffic.

Chuncheon will support AI workforce development, help businesses adopt and validate AI solutions, and assist AI and digital companies in developing products and services. New technologies will first be tested through pilot projects and proof-of-concept programs to verify their feasibility, safety and real-world effectiveness.

Programs whose benefits for residents and administrative efficiency have been verified will be scaled up gradually in terms of target population, geographic coverage and service scope.

"With this supplementary budget finalized, AI moves beyond the planning and preparation stage and begins to be applied in real settings — in residents' daily lives and in administrative work," Chuncheon Mayor Yuk Dong-han said. "We will start by delivering results in areas where residents can feel the change directly, such as welfare, the environment and safety, and then expand verified services across all of Chuncheon."