Ministry of Land to operate more than 320 exhibition booths across public, regional and private sectors
The 2026 Korea Urban and Regional Innovation Industry Expo, a forum for sharing solutions to urban and regional challenges and discussing future directions for innovation, will run from Tuesday through Oct. 2 at OSCO in Cheongju.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the expo's theme is "Cities Worth Looking Forward To, a Local Era We Build Together," and that more than 320 exhibition and promotional booths covering the public, regional and private sectors will allow visitors to review project outcomes from communities across the country in one place.
More than 190 booths in the public policy and regional innovation halls will showcase the progress and key achievements of urban regeneration projects carried out by local governments and public institutions.
The future industries hall will feature more than 80 booths, with participation from leading companies in urban maintenance and safety, construction, real estate services and information technology.
The regional co-prosperity zone will host more than 50 booths where cooperatives and community enterprises can display locally made products. Hands-on programs will also be available, including upcycling craft workshops using discarded banners and activities where visitors can make their own mugs or perfumes.
Seminars on the latest trends in urban regeneration will be held throughout the event. On Tuesday, the Korea Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation will host the "Urban Finance Innovation through New Financial Techniques" seminar to mark the 10th anniversary of urban regeneration fund support, with discussions focused on applying new financing methods to urban regeneration projects.
On Oct. 1, sessions will include "Urban Regeneration in the AI Era," which will share case studies on the use of AI technology in the field, and "DRT, Connecting Regions," organized by the LH Land and Housing Research Institute and the Korean Society of Transportation, which will address strategies for deploying demand-responsive transit.
Kim I-tak, first vice minister of land, infrastructure and transport, said cities must actively embrace new technologies and ideas and find solutions suited to local conditions to address the challenges they face. "We will provide support so that the ideas and solutions from diverse actors — local governments, public institutions and businesses across the country — can translate into real results on the ground," he said.
Last year's expo was held in the Jeongna district urban regeneration project area in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, where 143 organizations set up 300 booths.
smh@heraldcorp.com
