While the rest areas on expressways are common in most of the countries around the world, what South Korea has been pursuing is more
than that, adding the facilities on general national highways as well for drivers’ safety and convenience not only by taking rests but also
charging EV cars, and even providing them cultural and tourism spaces.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT, Minister PARK Sang-woo) announced that five additional rest areas under a
concept of ‘Smart Rest Complex’ will be established on general national highways, selected through an open call for local governments
this year.
Smart Rest Complex is an integrated rest area that incorporates digital-based smart technologies to provide road users with relaxing and
cultural spaces. Since their initial launch in 2020, five locations (Inje, Okcheon, Buan, Gimje, and Hadong) have been successfully opened
to the public, while the already selected 18 places nationwide (8 in 2021/ 5 in 2022/ 5 in 2024) have been being under construction to open
near future.
Please refer to the attached files or the preview for more details!