A full-day field trip is scheduled for November 9, 2026, allowing participants to observe firsthand Seoul’s AI industrial ecosystem—comprising industry-academia-research collaboration, startups, and public support—and witness how digital transformation is reshaping urban spaces. This will be followed by case-centered discussions on the ‘The Role of Geographers in the Era of the Great Digital Transformation,’ focusing on data-driven interpretation, verification, and policy integration.

Site visits will include Seoul AI Hub, Seoul AI Smart City Center, Pangyo Techno Valley II Exhibition Center and NAVER.

Seoul AI Hub (source: https://www.seoulaihub.kr/eng1/company1/company05.asp)

The second full-day field excursion, scheduled for November 9, 2026, explores the DMZ and the border region of Yeoncheon, where the enduring realities of national division coexist with exceptional ecological and geological resources. Participants will observe the militarized landscape of the Korean Peninsula and examine how decades of division have shaped local communities, land use patterns, and regional development.

The excursion also considers the border region as a potential space for peacebuilding, ecological conservation, and cross-border cooperation. Particular attention will be given to sustainable tourism, climate adaptation, renewable energy, and strategies for revitalizing declining rural communities.

Site Visit will include Taepung Observatory (Observing the Reality of Division), Hantangang UNESCO Global Geopark, Eundaeri Cultural Brick Factory, and Yeoncheon County Briefing (Peace Economy and Green transition for regional development)

Taepung Observatory (source: https://www.yeoncheon.go.kr/)