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| Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon talks with The Korea Times reporters during an interview at his office, Nov. 27. In the background is a smart board with real-time city data. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
By Lee Suh-yoon
Seoul City's big data administrative technology and products from Korean startups will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week, the city said Sunday.
This will be the first time for the city government to open its own showcase venue and for a Seoul mayor to participate in the largest consumer electronics trade show in the U.S.
This year's event runs from Jan. 7 to 10.
Mayor Park Won-soon will introduce a replica of his big data smart board at the 290-square-meter Seoul Pavilion at Eureka Park, the startups arena at the annual trade show. The original smart board is installed at his office in City Hall.
The mayor's smart board gives access to millions of data points collected around Seoul, including real-time CCTV footage of key traffic points and recent information on food prices at grocery stores. The 3-meter wide interface will be recreated on six wide display screens at the entrance to the Seoul Pavilion.
"We will replicate the digital smart board in the mayor's office on-site at the CES to introduce Seoul's smart technology and administration to the world," Mayor Park said in a press release.
Twenty Korean startups will also set up booths at the pavilion under the theme "Smart city & Smart life." Many fall under the categories of smart healthcare and future mobility, dominant themes at this year's CES.
One such startup is Smart Diagnosis, a healthcare services platform that uses smartphones to record a person's pupil dilatations ― a biomarker for heartbeat intervals ― to calculate his or her stress resilience and cardiovascular fitness.
Dash Company, a mobility systems startup joining the Seoul Pavilion, offers drivers an automated valet parking service with self-driving technology via an app.
A facial recognition digital door lock, drone technology and AI systems that sound like real humans will also be featured by the participating startups. On Wednesday, the Seoul Pavilion will host a special "pitching day" for the startups to market their products to potential investors.
"We hope participating in the CES will help our firm meet more investors and secure a platform for further growth," Kim Gun-mo, head of Kono Corporation, said. Better known as a watchmaker, Kono will be showcasing a versatile app-controlled LED stick that can create specified letters and images in mid-air.
The city will also operate a smaller "Seoul Lounge" at the Tech East venue. Furnished with wooden frames and traditional mulberry paper, the lounge ― primarily an exhibit for tourist attractions in Seoul ― will look like a mini version of Mayor Park's City Hall office.
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