- The Third Korean City to Host the “Olympics” of Intelligent Transport, Following Seoul (1998) and Busan (2010)
- Significant Step in Promoting Korea’s Advanced ITS Worldwide
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT, Minister: WON Hee-ryong) and the city of Gangneung (Mayor: KIM Hong-kyu) announced that Gangneung won the bid to host the 32nd ITS World Congress in October 2026 (‘26.10.19~10.23, 5 days), outcompeting Taipei of Taiwan.
* Intelligent Transport System (ITS) is a transport system incorporating advanced technologies that enhance transport safety and efficiency through efficient management of traffic-related data and scientificㆍautomated operation.
On September 17, 9:00 AM local time (September 18, 1:00 AM, KST) at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Korea’s 2026 ITS World Congress Bidding Committee for Gangneung (Chairs: MOLIT Assistant Minister for Road LEE Yong-wook and Mayor of Gangneung KIM Hong-kyu) outperformed Taiwan in the final selection proposal and succeeded in winning the bid to host the globally renowned event for the third time at home in Gangneung, following Seoul and Busan.
The ITS World Congress, which was founded in 1994, Paris, is the largest exhibition and academic conference in the field of ITS, held every year rotating among three major geographical regions – America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
Korea has experiences of successfully hosting the 5th ITS World Congress in Seoul, 1998, and the 17th ITS World Congress in Busan, 2010. The 2026 Congress in Gangneung would make Korea to be on par with Japan, becoming one of the only two countries among 11 Asia-Pacific ITS World Congress Member Countries to host the World Congress three times.
Since selecting Gangneung as Korea’s candidate city in 2020, MOLIT has been actively supporting the city through a government-subsidized ITS project on the installation of advanced road infrastructure in Gangneung urban centers (36 billion KRW, 2 years), and also launched a bidding campaign by forming a bidding committee* consisting of public and private sector entities.
* MOLIT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gangwon Province, Gangneung City, Korea Expressway Corporation, ITS Korea, Hyundai Motor Company, SK, KT, LG, etc.
The other candidate that competed against Gangneung was Taiwan’s capital city, Taipei, which had made the bid for the third time. It was a very close competition between the two cities, and as Taipei is more widely known than Gangneung, no one could be sure whether Gangneung would succeed until the very end.
The 32nd ITS World Congress in 2026 will be joined by participants from 100 countries around the globe. Academic sessions with experts and entrepreneurs, exhibitions, demonstrations of the latest technologies, and business meetings will take place at the Congress, expecting around 60 thousand visitors in total.
The event will serve as a platform for international collaborations in advanced transport and give a valuable opportunity for Korea to promote its world-class ITS technologies, helping more Korean companies to venture overseas.
It is also anticipated that the World Congress will bring many international visitors. This would have an invigorating effect on the local economy and raise the city’s brand. More jobs will be created and the local IT industry will gain new momentum for growth.
Gangneung expects that the ITS World Congress would generate economic effects worth 372.9 billion KRW, and create 2033 jobs.
* Analysis of the economic effects of the 2010 Busan ITS World Congress:
(Exports) 2.2-fold increase - Before the Congress (2006~2010) : USD 338million/ After the Congress (2011~2016) : USD 759million
(Local economy) Total KRW 168.8billion worth of economic effects generated – Induced production e.g. lodging, tourism, etc.: KRW 119.5billion / Added value : KRW 49.3billion
(Source: Busan Development Institute)
Minister WON Hee-ryong said, “The 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress, held under the theme of ‘Beyond Mobility, Connected World’ will be a place to experience new ITS solutions, visit diverse project sites, and enjoy Korea’s traditional and modern culture as well as the city’s charms.”
“Together with the city of Gangneung, MOLIT will spare no effort in making the ITS World Congress a success, so that it would lead to Gangneung’s emergence as a global tourism destination based on the city’s advanced transport system and ultimately help Korea’s ITS industry to play a central role on the global stage.”
And, MOLIT Assistant Minister for Road, Mr. Yong-wook Lee said, “In our bidding campaign for the host of the 2026 ITS World Congress, we have thoroughly put together a competitive proposal that brings out unique strengths of Gangneung. Government-level collaborations and cooperation meetings (e.g. ODA projects, cooperation from overseas missions and public/private sector networking overseas), active communication with nine BOD members, and support for the ITS deployment project in Gangneung (KRW 36 billion, 2 years) have been conducted after strategic analyses on voting countries (Countries that are favorable to Gangneung/ Countries where Gangneung has a narrow lead/ Countries where Gangneung is relatively unfavored).”
Please refer to the attached PDF.