WeGO welcomes Belgian king to smart city symposium

March 26, 2019

SEOUL – On the occasion of the state visit by Their Majesties the King and Queen of the Belgians to Korea, WeGO co-organized a smart city-themed seminar with two Belgian local government bodies.

The “Improving Quality of Life through Smart Cities – Korean-Belgian Symposium”—organized in partnership with the Brussels-Capital Region, a member of WeGO since September 2018, and the French-Speaking Community of Belgium—served as a venue for the countries to exchange experience and best practice in the development of smart cities.

Over 150 delegates from Belgian government and academia, along with domestic public and private smart city stakeholders, attended the seminar held at Seoul City Hall.

WeGO President City Seoul’s Mayor Park and HM the King of the Belgians were present for the opening of the symposium, together with other Belgian high-level officials. Congratulatory remarks were delivered by Mayor Park and Ministers-President from the Belgian local government bodies.

Mr. Kyong-yul Lee, Secretary General of WeGO, made the keynote presentation on the citizen-centricity of smart cities and on the concept of the “homo sapiencity.” The program went on with two main sessions focused on civic engagement in smart cities and solutions to urban mobility issues. Speakers included the CIOs of Seoul and Brussels-Capital Region, as well as Belgian and Korean representatives from the private sector, institutions, and academia.

The symposium was one of many activities arranged for the Belgian royal state visit to Korea, and could become a recurrent program given its popularity this year.