Field Trip I:
Seoul AI Transformation Tour

- Field Trip Fee: USD 110 (KRW 150,000)
 

- Booking Policy: Minimum 15 persons, maximum 25 persons (first-come, first-served basis; online payment on the conference website must be completed for registration to be considered final)
 

- Registration Deadline: October 6th
 

This full-day tour explores the connections between artificial intelligence (AI) and geography across Seoul and Seongnam. Three visits introduce complementary perspectives: spatial data and robotics at NAVER 1784, the technology ecosystem of Pangyo [PAHN-GYO] Second Techno Valley, and public AI services and accelerator at the Seoul AI Smart City Center. Participants will consider how digital technologies are embedded in buildings, industrial clusters, and urban governance.

Register

Operational Summary
 

The tour connects three spatial scales: a technology-enabled workplace, an innovation district, and a metropolitan public-service system. Participants will examine how spatial data support AI applications, how proximity and shared facilities connect technology firms, and how public institutions introduce digital services to residents. Across the visits, distinguish demonstrations of technical capability from evidence of practical outcomes. Consider who produces the data, which places and populations are represented, and what organizational conditions are needed to put an application into routine use.
 

Bring comfortable walking shoes, and weather-appropriate clothing. Follow each host’s instructions on access, photography, and demonstrations.

Tour Overview
 

Site 1  | NAVER 1784 & Map Division

10:00–12:00     NAVER Headquarter Complex, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do
 

NAVER 1784 (foreground) beside the Green Factory building (Photo: SAMOO Architects & Engineers)
 

NAVER 1784 combines an office building with a testbed for robotics, cloud computing, AI, and 5G connectivity. Its autonomous service robots and dedicated robot elevator illustrate how a building’s circulation and infrastructure can support human–robot interaction. For geographers, the site offers a concrete setting in which to examine how digital systems depend on the organization of physical space. NAVER LABS describes a technology exhibition at 1784 organized around robots and testbeds for cutting-edge technology. Its mapping systems capture streets, building interiors, and complex indoor spaces. The resulting spatial data support localization and navigation. The Map Division session will connect these capabilities with AI-assisted geospatial processing and map services in international collaboration contexts. A host-led introduction and case-based Map Division briefing, presented by Vice President of NAVER Map Division Seungrak Choi, will be followed by a tour of NAVER 1784 and available demonstrations.

Site 2  | Pangyo Second Techno Valley

13:30–14:30     Gyeonggi Enterprise Growth Center, Pangyo-dong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do
 

Gyeonggi Enterprise Growth Center. (Photo: Pangyo Second Techno Valley webpage)
 

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Exhibition and Experience Hall introduces Pangyo Second Techno Valley and the products and services of its resident companies. Located at the Gyeonggi Enterprise Growth Center, the hall uses projection mapping, digital signage, augmented-reality displays, and interactive company showcases to communicate the cluster’s development and technological activities. The displays provide an accessible introduction to the connections among firms, emerging technologies, and a planned innovation district. For this field trip, the emphasis is on how a shared exhibition space makes a technology cluster visible to visitors and potential partners. Participants can relate the featured AI, robotics, and mobility applications to broader questions about agglomeration, business networks, and regional development.

Site 3  | Seoul AI Smart City Center

15:30–16:50     Smartium, S-PLEX Center, Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
 

The center’s networking lounge and Seoul AI Foundation signage. (Photo: Seoul Metropolitan Government)
 

The Seoul AI Smart City Center is a public exhibition and learning space in the Smartium building of S-PLEX Center. Its facilities include an AI Studio, public administration and enterprise exhibition zones, a classroom, and a networking lounge. The center introduces AI through urban service examples and opportunities for visitors to engage with technologies. The AI Studio presents immersive visualizations based on Seoul’s public data. Exhibitions address services including crowd monitoring, transport information, and infrastructure safety. These examples offer a starting point for considering how spatial information is translated into public decisions and communicated to citizens in assistance with AI.

Field Trip II:
Peace, Ecology, and Green Transition in the Border Region (DMZ Field Trip to Yeoncheon County)

- Field Trip Fee: USD 150 (KRW 200,000)
 

- Booking Policy: Minimum 15 persons, maximum 25 persons (first-come, first-served basis; online payment on the conference website must be completed for registration to be considered final)
 

- Registration Deadline: October 6th
 

Register

Tentative Route (Subject to Change)

Seoul → Taepung Observatory → Imjin River Peace Wetland & Yeoncheon UNESCO Global Geopark → Yeoncheon County Office → Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site → Seoul

Tentative Schedule (Subject to Change)
 

Field Trip Route
 

1. Departure from Seoul National University

The field trip will depart from Seoul in the morning and travel north toward Yeoncheon County, with an introduction to the DMZ and the characteristics of the border region during the journey.

2. Taepung Observatory

The first stop will be Taepung Observatory, where participants will observe the DMZ and the North Korean territory across the border. The visit will provide an opportunity to consider the history of division and the prospects for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
 

Photo Source:‘Yeoncheon – Taepung Observatory,’ Gyeonggi Province

3. Imjin River Peace Wetland and Yeoncheon UNESCO Global Geopark

The group will then visit the Imjin River Peace Wetland, highlighting the exceptional ecological and geological value of Yeoncheon. Yeoncheon is recognized as a UNESCO Global Geopark, where the DMZ landscape, the Imjin River, diverse ecosystems, and distinctive geological heritage are closely interconnected. The visit will also explore the potential of the DMZ and the UNESCO Global Geopark as an integrated platform for biodiversity conservation, geotourism, environmental education, and green transition.

Photo Source: Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation (GGC) and Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province.

4. Yeoncheon County Office and meet the Mayor
 

The group will visit Yeoncheon County Office, where the Mayor of Yeoncheon County will deliver welcoming remarks, followed by lunch and an informal exchange with local representatives. The session will focus on Yeoncheon's vision for peace, ecological conservation, and sustainable regional development.
 

Photo Source: Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province.

5. Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site/2029 Jeongok-ri World Paleolithic Expo,

In the afternoon, the group will visit the Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site, one of the most significant Paleolithic archaeological sites in Korea. The visit will introduce the archaeological and cultural significance of the site and its role in understanding the long history of human settlement on the Korean Peninsula. Participants will also receive a briefing on the 2029 Jeongok-ri Paleolithic Expo, including its vision and potential contribution to the international promotion of Yeoncheon, cultural exchange, tourism, and sustainable regional development.
 

Photo Source:‘Yeoncheon’s Nine Scenic Sites,’ Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province

6. Return to Seoul

Following the visit to the Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site, the group will depart from Yeoncheon and return to Seoul in the late afternoon.

The route and schedule are tentative and may be subject to change depending on local circumstances, military access restrictions, weather conditions, and the final program.