The signing ceremony was attended by Cho Chang-hui, Director of R&D at the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services, and Yi Zhengyi, President of the Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, who discussed specific cooperation measures and action plans.

According to the agreement, the two institutions will promote joint research and the exchange of researchers for the development of new varieties of peaches and strawberries, the conservation and utilization of hydrangea genetic resources, and the exploration of mushroom cultivation resources. Of particular note, as the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences has achieved outstanding results in developing new varieties of peaches and strawberries, cooperation is expected in developing varieties in response to climate change and consumer trends.

Gyeonggi Province and the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences have signed agreements every two years since 2015, with this occasion marking the fourth such signing.

Director of R&D Cho Chang-hui said, “Since first promoting exchange and cooperation with the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2015, we have realized highly specialized research results in various fields such as rice, floriculture, eco-friendly agriculture and pest control… We will continue to strengthen exchange and cooperation to address the current agricultural issues of both institutions.”

On August 22, Gyeonggi Province Governor Dong Yeon Kim shared a link on his social media, saying, “Gyeonggi Province’s Smart Bus was introduced on a website of the B.C. government as an AI-based public transportation system that can reduce carbon emissions.”

On July 30, the B.C. government posted promotional material on its website under the title “Gyeonggi Province Governor’s Visit Spurs New Trade and Investment Opportunities in B.C.”

Per the article: “In an important visit to strengthen international trade ties, [Governor Kim] visited [B.C.], from May 12-13, 2024. This high-profile visit underscored both regions’ cooperation in energy, clean technology and climate change, paving the way for new trade and investment opportunities.”

The article then introduced the Smart Bus, saying, ” The visit also highlighted Gyeonggi’s innovative [Smart Bus] initiative, an AI-powered public transportation system operating on a Demand Responsive Transport model that optimizes routes in real-time, addressing public transit inefficiencies, particularly in underserved areas. This sharing of information can help support the ongoing work being undertaken by the [B.C.] Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to find innovative and resilient solutions to meet the diverse transportation needs of communities in British Columbia.”

“Building on the renewed Enhanced Action Plan and the Statement of Cooperation between the Gyeonggi Ministry of Transportation and the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, both regions plan to exchange complementary technologies which may help reduce carbon emissions,” the article also mentioned.

Since establishing their sisterhood relationship in May 2008, Gyeonggi Province and BC have conducted various exchanges, focusing on media content, IT industry, disaster prevention, culture and arts, sports, education, and labor. In May, Governor Kim visited the Lieutenant Governor’s Residence and the provincial legislature of B.C. to strengthen international exchanges and cooperation and attract foreign investment, and had breakfast with Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin and Premier David Eby to discuss cooperation between the two regions. At that time, the B.C. government showed an active attitude toward expanding exchanges between the two regions by offering unusual hospitality, such as inviting the Gyeonggi delegation to the Lieutenant Governor’s Residence, facilitating the laying of a wreath at a monument in front of the B.C. legislature, and arranging a welcome by indigenous people, all on par with a state-level visit.

Smart Bus, which means “smartly moving bus,” is a unique brand element of Gyeonggi Province’s Demand Responsive Transportation System.

Smart Bus is a customized public transportation system that flexibly transports people in response to passenger calls in new urban and transportation-deficient areas without fixed routes and set schedules. Unlike conventional buses with fixed routes, it uses artificial intelligence to create and operate optimal routes in real time according to passenger demand. It is possible to hail and pay fares for the bus through the “Smart Vehicle” app, an integrated transportation platform operated by Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation. The Smart Bus started as a pilot project in Paju City in 202; currently 188 buses operate in 14 cities and counties of the province.

Sacramento is the capital of California, a state driving innovation in areas such as life sciences and semiconductors. This is the first time a Sacramento economic mission has visited Gyeonggi Province.

The economic mission consisted of a total of 18 stakeholders from various sectors, including UC Davis Chancellor Garry May, Greater Sacramento Economic Council President & CEO Barry Broome, Sacramento Municipal Utility District CEO & General Manager Paul Lau, Sacramento County District 1 Supervisor Phil Serna, and Rancho Cordova Mayor David Sander Rancho.

They visited Korea from August 19 to 23 for investment attraction activities. On the morning of August 21, they visited the Gyeonggido Business and Science Accelerator (hereinafter referred to as the GBSA) and the Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology (hereinafter referred to as the AICT) to review the current status of Gyeonggi Province’s cutting-edge industries, such as biotechnology and semiconductors. They also met with the Director General of Gyeonggi Province’s Future Growth Industry Bureau, the Head of the Bio Industry Headquarters of the GBSA, and the Display TF Team Leader of the AICT to discuss various ways to foster cooperation, such as promoting Korean companies in the U.S. and expanding investment by U.S. bio companies in Gyeonggi Province by introducing Sacramento’s core industries, including life sciences and semiconductors.

Sacramento’s economic mission to Gyeonggi Province was organized by the Korean-American Professional Association in Life Sciences, led by Kim Hyun-jong. After discussing cooperation plans at the GBSA, the mission took a tour of the Semiconductor Technology Center and conducted active investment promotion activities, such as introducing the current status of the bio and semiconductor industries.

Kim Hyun-dae, Director General of Gyeonggi Province’s Future Growth Industry Bureau, said, “In order for Gyeonggi Province to become a global hub for cutting-edge industries, it is important for U.S. companies to advance into and invest in Gyeonggi Province… Through this meeting, we will continue to promote cooperation with related organizations in Sacramento to vitalize economic exchanges between the two regions, including the advancement of domestic companies into the U.S.”

This collaboration is in line with Gyeonggi Province’s strategic vision to realize a sustainable future through the advancement of AI technology, and to build transparent and accountable governance on a global scale.

DETA adopted a ‘Manifesto for the Advancement of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence’ and will present it to the Special Envoy for Technology at the UN Future Summit in September.

This manifesto focuses on enhancing transparency, justice, security, accountability, privacy, autonomy, and sustainability in the development and use of artificial intelligence technologies, and emphasizes that human dignity, democracy, and the rule of law should be prioritized in the development of artificial intelligence technologies. After confirming its participation in the Joint Manifesto, Gyeonggi Province has completed its review of the Joint Manifesto and submitted its comments to the DETA Secretariat.

After joining DETA in January, Gyeonggi Province was invited by Catalonia, Spain, to attend the Mobile World Congress (MWC) and the DETA working meeting in February, and participated in two online video conferences of the AI Working Group in June and July to share AI strategies among member states. Later this month, he will participate in the third meeting of the AI Working Group.

The Joint Manifesto on Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be finalized and co-signed by DETA members and submitted to the UN in September.

With this manifesto, Gyeonggi Province aims to become a global AI hub by providing guidance on the proper use of AI technology for human welfare and social development, and by promoting inclusive growth and innovation through AI technology.

Kim Seon-hwa, head of the AI Frontier Business Division, said, “Gyeonggi Province will take the lead in laying the foundation for the ethical development of artificial intelligence technology to build a sustainable future. By collaborating with local governments in 14 countries, we will take the lead in promoting AI on a global scale so that the world can enjoy the benefits of AI technology together.”

‘Unmanned rear enforcement equipment’ is an enforcement device that photographs the rear license plate of a vehicle to detect traffic violations and issue fines. It recognizes the rear license plates of all vehicles, including regular vehicles (four-wheelers) and motorcycles (two-wheelers). In the case of current traffic enforcement CCTVs, the front license plate of the vehicle is recorded, making it difficult to enforce against two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles with rear license plates, but this device overcomes this shortcoming. Failure to wear a helmet is also subject to enforcement.

To this end, the Police Commission approved a plan in March to purchase KRW 3.1 billion worth of unmanned rear enforcement equipment in 2024.

Accordingly, the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police has completed procedures such as analyzing priority locations for multiple traffic accidents (using traffic accident risk indexes such as ‘risk of personal injury, death, and serious injury’) and field surveys for structural compatibility of the installation, and will begin field installation in September.

The newly installed ‘Unmanned Rear Traffic Enforcement Equipment’ will be installed in 90 high-traffic areas, including Jungangdong-sa Street in Jungwon-gu, Seongnam City, LG5 Cha Sam-gil in Suji-gu, Yongin City, Ansan Arts Culture Center in Ansan City, Gyeongsu-daero Film Chogyo-gyo Street in Suwon City, Yeonghwa Elementary Intersection in Gyeongsu-daero, Shinheung-ro Telephone Intersection in Bucheon City, and the rear gate of the city hall in Namyang-eup, Hwaseong City.

Once the installation is completed, the number of unmanned rear traffic enforcement equipment currently operating at 57 locations in the southern Gyeonggi Province will increase to 147. The Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency has posted administrative notices on the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency’s website (www.ggpolice.go.kr) and is soliciting residents’ opinions until August 20.

In addition, through the development of AI video analysis technology for unmanned traffic enforcement devices, the National Police Agency and the Korea Expressway Corporation are exploring ways to expand the scope and techniques for enforcement of traffic safety hazards, such as tailgating at intersections and right turn pause violations, and are continuously developing techniques to reduce the cost of device installation, such as two-way enforcement with a single device and full-lane turn enforcement.

“The Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly will actively consider how to support the expansion and operation of advanced traffic science equipment for the Autonomous Police to improve the efficiency of limited police manpower and reduce serious traffic accidents in the region,” said Kook Joong-beom, member of the Safety and Administration Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly.

Kang Kyung-ryang, chairman of the Gyeonggi Southern Autonomous Police Commission, said, “A comparative analysis of accident occurrences before the installation of the equipment in 2021 and after the installation in 2023 showed a 13.9 percent decrease in traffic accidents and a 23.1 percent decrease in traffic fatalities, confirming the effectiveness of traffic safety. We will strive to establish a proper traffic culture for two-wheelers through the expansion of rear enforcement equipment and strengthen communication with local communities, such as traffic safety briefings for residents.”

In 2023, a total of 3,183 two-wheeler traffic accidents occurred in South Gyeonggi Province, and 172,532 violations of laws and regulations were enforced, and the average social cost of traffic accidents was estimated to be about KRW 6,890 million per severely injured person, KRW 520 million per slightly injured person, and KRW 533,379 million per fatality. (Estimation and Evaluation of Traffic Accident Costs in 2022 by Korea Expressway Transportation Corporation)

The Gyeonggi Youth Climate Envoy is the new name of the Gyeonggi Youth Overseas Volunteer Program, which means sending a civilian mission for climate action to help solve climate disparities in developing countries.

From August 7 to August 28, the 120 volunteers recruited in July will be divided into six teams in three countries, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan, for about three weeks of overseas volunteer activities. The main activities will include tree planting, environmental maintenance, climate action campaigns, cultural exchanges, and various other volunteer activities and exchanges according to the local characteristics of each country.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon encouraged the members through a video message at the launching ceremony, saying, “Global cooperation and participation are necessary to respond to the climate crisis. Each and every action taken by the Climate Envoy, such as planting trees and improving the environment, will be an important step toward eliminating the global climate gap and planting the future.”

Primiere Vision is a prominent textile trade show that takes place in the United States, Canada, Italy, France and approximately 20 other countries. Held semiannually, PVNY is the leading textile exhibition in the U.S., attracting a large number of serious buyers.

Since 2019, the Gyeonggi Textile Marketing Center (GTC) has been participating in the PVNY exhibition and matching consultation sessions as part of its marketing support to help fashion manufacturing companies in Gyeonggi Province promote exports and explore new markets. Participating companies receive support for 50% of booth fees, as well as for product transportation, interpretation, and local transportation. As a result, 7,675 consultations worth approximately USD 56.73 million have realized to date. In one case, D Company (based in Yangju City), which specializes in fabric lamination, launched a laminated fabric using mulberry as a raw material and saw consultations worth about USD 790,000 with brands such as M Company, L Company and A Company in the United States.

This year, eight promising companies from Gyeonggi Province participated in the export roadshow, presenting various fabrics and samples through one-on-one consultations with about 94 companies, including local fabric buyers and garment designers.

Company S (based in Ansan City), a knitting and post-processing company that participated in the roadshow, consulted on novelty items and secured a USD 100,000 annual order for knitted fabrics from Nordstrom in the U.S. In addition, Company K (based in Uijeongbu City), a knitting and post-processing company, won a USD 250,000 contract for printed fabrics from local designer brand Clarason in the Midwest.

Bae Jin-ki, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Business Promotion Division, said, “Gyeonggi Province is a central region where about 26% of the nation’s textile industry is concentrated. We will actively support textile companies in the enhancement of their global competitiveness so that Gyeonggi Province can become a center of the global textile industry.”

The GTC operates three overseas branches (LA, New York, and Shanghai) with GTC Yangju in Gyeonggi Province serving as an “export assistant” for textile companies in Gyeonggi Province; it achieved an export contract performance of USD 5.92 million in the first half of this year.

For more information, please contact the Digital Manufacturing Innovation Team of the Gyeonggido Business and Science Accelerator (031-850-3672).

On July 18, the GAFI introduced Gyeonggi Province’s eco-friendly school food system – consisting of “contract farming, collection, pre-treatment, processing and school” – to 36 female students from Hong Kong who visited Korea to explore Korean science and technology.

In addition, the GAFI discussed the future prospects and technological advancement of eco-friendly school lunches through food tech, and shared with the students the importance of the convergence of agriculture, the food industry and advanced innovative technologies, as well as the achievements of Gyeonggi food tech.

Of particular note, the students visited the cafeteria of the Gyeonggi Eco-Distribution Center, the first public institution in Gyeonggi Province to introduce an AI food scanner, and scanned the amount of leftovers after a meal to assess the dashboard display technology.

GAFI Director Choi Chang-soo said, “We receive visits from overseas organizations every quarter to benchmark the advanced practices of eco-friendly school food in Gyeonggi Province, but this is the first time that students have visited… We will continue to strive to improve quality of life for Gyeonggi residents and contribute to job creation by disseminating our achievements in addition to the stable operation of school lunches and the creation of a food tech ecosystem, the future food industry in Gyeonggi Province.”

The KGC announced on July 16 at the General Rice Processing Plant of the Agricultural Cooperative Federation Joint Venture Corporation in Yangpyeong County that it also held a shipping ceremony for export to the U.S. with Yangpyeong County Mayor Jeon Jin-sun, KGC Executive Director and Acting CEO Lee Seung-rok, and Yangpyeong Agricultural Cooperative Joint Business Corporation CEO Lee Jong-moon among others.

The total export amount of 4 tonnes (1,000 4-kg sachets) will be sold through H&Y MARKETPLACE in the United States from mid-August. As part of its marketing support program, KGC provides assistance with the overseas sale and marketing of Gyeonggi SME products. Of particular note, 4 tonnes of “Real Dream Rice from Clean Water Yangpyeong” were successfully exported to Australia last year.

KGC Acting CEO Lee Seung-Rok said, “We are pleased that Gyeonggi Province rice has been able to target overseas markets since last year, and that KGC has been able to support exports to overseas markets… We will continue to do our best to pioneer more overseas markets for our high-quality products.”

More than 20 members of the 22nd National Assembly are expected to take part in the event, which is being held in cooperation with the Climate Change Decarbonization Economy Forum (a National Assembly research body), providing an opportunity to build public interest and consensus at the national level.

This meeting has been organized to discuss Korea’s response to changes in the global trade environment, such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the US’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

The first part of the meeting session will feature presentations and discussions on domestic and international renewable energy policy trends and government policy directions (Prof. Seung Wan Kim, Department of Electrical Engineering, Chungnam National University) and Gyeonggi RE100 achievements and challenges (Cha Sung-soo, Director General for Climate, Environment and Energy, Gyeonggi Provincial Government).

The second part of the session will be moderated by Gyeonggi Climate Ambassador Kang Geum-sil, followed by a discussion led by experts such as Min Hyun-ki, Head of LS Electric Power Grid Sales Team, Cho Hyun-jin, an official of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Renewable Energy Policy Division, Kim Young-joon, Paju City Deputy Mayor for Finance and Economy, Lee Yoo-jin, Director of the Green Transition Institute, and Lim Jae-min, Secretary General of the Energy Transition Forum, on policy proposals for zero-carbon industries and renewable energy expansion, the importance of RE100 legislation, a plan to help small and medium-sized enterprises achieve zero-carbon goals, the importance of renewable energy and its expansion, and proposals for revitalizing industrial parks and solar farms.

This meeting will be streamed live online via Gyeonggi Province’s official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@ggholics). Gyeonggi Province plans to work with the National Assembly and the central government to enact and revise the “RE100 3 Act” and expand the use of renewable energy based on this parliamentary debate.