Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has declared 2025 a pivotal year for the city’s AI-driven administrative transformation, aiming to improve public services and daily life.

He emphasized a citizen-centered approach to AI, citing projects like the Youth Employment Academy and the RISE Project to train future tech talent.

Seoul plans to expand its southern tech hub into an “AI tech city” while enhancing public services through AI tools for emergency calls, automated check-ins for elderly residents, and intelligent CCTV systems to assist individuals with developmental disabilities.

By the end of 2025, the city will launch its own large language model for policy support, backed by a cross-departmental AI integration framework.

Other quality-of-life efforts include boosting housing supply through a public-private fund and expanding urban green areas.

🔗 Source: The Korea Times

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ South Korea’s AI journey built on unique cultural foundations

South Korea’s push for AI in city governance builds on a decades-long national approach that differs from Western development paths.

Unlike the “AI winter” experienced in the US and Europe during the 1980s-90s, South Korea saw significant growth in AI research during this period, with researchers focusing specifically on making technology compatible with the Korean language 1.

The development of AI systems that could effectively process Hangul was crucial for democratizing technology access, establishing a foundation for today’s citizen-centered approaches like Seoul’s senior check-in systems and emergency response tools.

This historical focus on culturally relevant AI development helps explain why Seoul can confidently pursue ambitious projects like city-specific large language models tailored for administrative tasks.

The nation’s AI strategy accelerated dramatically after the 2016 “AlphaGo shock” when Google’s AI defeated Korean Go champion Lee Sedol, prompting an $860 million government investment specifically to boost national AI capabilities 2.

2️⃣ Seoul stands out in global urban AI implementation

While cities worldwide are exploring AI applications, Seoul’s concrete implementation of multiple AI systems places it ahead of the global curve.

A recent survey found that 69% of mayors are exploring or testing AI capabilities, but only 2% have moved to active implementation, positioning Seoul’s emergency call analysis system, senior citizen check-ins, and CCTV applications as relatively advanced 3.