Steering the Future: WeGO Appoints Steering Committee for Seoul Smart City Prize

 

Seoul, April 15th, 2025 — The official Appointment Ceremony for the Seoul Smart City Prize Steering Committee was held on April 15, 2025, in Seoul, bringing together distinguished experts from academia, public policy, diplomacy, and the media to formally launch the newly formed committee.

The event commenced with welcome remarks from Jeong-kee Kim, Secretary General of WeGO (the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization), who also introduced the newly appointed Chairman of the Steering Committee, Kak Soo Shin, former Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Japan and former First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In his keynote remarks, Chairman Shin expressed his vision for the Seoul Smart City Prize, highlighting the importance of global cooperation, sustainable urban development, and inclusive innovation. He emphasized the role of the Seoul Smart City Prize in recognizing and encouraging transformative smart city initiatives around the world.

During the ceremony, each member of the Steering Committee was introduced, showcasing the diverse backgrounds and expertise they bring to the initiative. The committee includes leading professors and smart city experts from renowned institutions such as Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Gachon University, and SUNY Korea.

Following the formal proceedings, a group photo was taken, and members engaged in a luncheon session featuring open remarks and dialogue among participants.

Appointed Steering Committee Members include:

• Kak Soo Shin, Chairman, Former Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Japan
• M. Jae Moon, Professor, Department of Public Policy and Management, Yonsei University
• Jae Eun Shin, Assistant Professor, Underwood International College, Yonsei University
• Pyungryun Yu, Vice-President for Administration & External Relations, SUNY Korea
• Seokwon Lee, Professor, Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University
• Junghoon Lee, Professor, Graduate School of Information, Yonsei University
• Chang-seop Rhee, Member, Ministry of National Defense Policy Advisory Committee
• Young-Im Cho, Professor of AI Engineering, Gachon University
  

The Steering Committee will play a crucial role in guiding the development and direction of the Seoul Smart City Prize, an initiative led by WeGO and Seoul Metropolitan Government to recognize excellence in smart and sustainable urban development across the globe.

About the Seoul Smart City Prize

The Seoul Smart City Prize, an international award that honors innovation and excellence in smart city development launched in 2023 by WeGO Secretariat and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Last year finalists from the Seoul Smart City Prize joined the Seoul Smart Life Week tour programs. They also have received an opportunity to participate in an online and offline training program from the Seoul Human Resource Development Center (SHRDC), through a series of virtual live lectures and a 1- week long offline training session in Seoul happening alongside with the Seoul Smart Life Week. Finally, winners have received a unique opportunity to implement a smart city project, including assistance to conduct pre-feasibility studies, with a value of 200,000,000 KRW (approx. 150,000 USD) financial support allocated for this purpose. WeGO in partnership with the Seoul Urban Solutions Agency (SUSA) gave this opportunity to São Paulo. São Paulo will now assess the feasibility of upgrading its Accessible Service Network Map (ASNM), improving accessibility through a collaboration with WeGO, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and SUSA. 

About WeGO

The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), is a membership-based international association of local governments, smart tech solution providers, and institutions committed to the transformation of cities into smart sustainable cities through facilitating public-private partnerships (PPP). WeGO was founded by 50 member cities in 2010 as the World e-Governments Organization, hence our acronym. In response to the evolving concept of smart cities, WeGO expanded its vision and mandate at the 7th General Assembly (2017) and its name to the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization. WeGO’s Secretariat is based in Seoul, Korea, and has regional offices in East Asia (Chengdu, China), the Mediterranean (Beyoglu, Turkey), Africa (Abuja, Nigeria), Middle East & North Africa (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), Latin America (Cuenca, Ecuador), and Central Asia (Almaty, Kazakhstan). As the leading platform on smart city development, WeGO’s mission is to share knowledge and good practices in e-Governance; strengthen administrative efficiency and transparency; advance digital capacity; facilitate civic involvement; bridge the digital divide and inequality; and promote cooperation solidarity among cities and local governments around the world.

WeGO serves for its members as their international platform to improve the quality of life, innovate in the delivery of public services, and strengthen regional competitiveness.

Press Contact:
Name:  Kakim Danabayev
E-mail: kakim@we-gov.org
Phone: +82-70-4202-9169