News

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  Seoul ramps up efforts to transition to electric transportation

  등록일 2021-09-07 글쓴이 seoulsolution

  The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) plans to deliver 270,000 electric vehicles for public transportation by 2025 as part of efforts to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.   Transportation accounts for one fifth (19.2 per cent) of all the South Korean capital’s greenhouse gas emissions.   Electric push   To achieve this goal, the city government plans to raise the supply of new vehicles by 50 per cent annually to 175,000 cars by 2025. As part of this plan, approximately 15 per cent or 10,000 of all taxis in the capital will be electric by 2025. The SMG also plans to install charging stations at taxi garages.   Additionally, the city will add a total of 3,500 buses to its public bus fleets by 2025. This will make more than 40 per cent of all Seoul’s buses electric. Starting from 2021, public bus companies are required to purchase only zero-emission vehicles. Older fossil fuel buses will be the first to be replaced by electric ones. The SMG aims to provide electric buses to religious organisations, private companies, and tourist agencies in the near future. Seoul will add 62,000 electric motorcycles by 2025. In particular, the city reports that every one of the 35,000 motorcycles used for delivery services will be replaced with electric motors. In addition, the SMG will add 19,000 electric trucks. All new package delivery trucks will be electric starting in 2022. As for school buses, 20 electric vehicles will operate this year as a pilot programme. The SMG said it hopes to achieve a conversion of every school bus to electric from 2023.   Historically, Seoul subsidised sales of electric vehicles. Now, it will add additional incentives by expanding charging infrastructures. By installing 200,000 additional electric charging stations by 2025, the ambition is that there will be only a five-minute walking distance between the stations, making EV charging more convenient for 500,000 new EV owners. Rapid charging stations will be installed at major transportation hubs, such as parking lots for transit, public, athletic and cultural facilities. In residential and office facilities, slow charging stations will be installed. In particular, the SMG will use resident-priority parking lots to provide charging stations in densely populated areas with inadequate EV infrastructures.   “By building more charging infrastructures in advance, the SMG will make a city where electric cars are easy to drive,” said Yoo Yeon-Sik, director general of climate and environment.   Citizen engagement   In a separate announcement, the SMG reports that one fifth of all citizens (2.225 million) had signed up to “eco mileage", the city’s energy-saving incentive programme launched in 2009.   The city’s inhabitants’ participation in the programme, has led to a reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of some 2.387 million tons, equivalent to the creation of forests with a size of 3.7 times the total area of Seoul or to planting 361.63 million 30-year-old pine trees, according to the SMG.   The city offered mileages to households, schools, and enterprises that joined the programme and reduced carbon emissions by saving electricity, water, and city gas. Using the allocated mileages, citizens were able to pay taxes, purchase gift vouchers that can be used in traditional markets, donate trees to be planted in deserts, or participate in other low-carbon activities. https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/smart-cities-news/smart-cities-news/seoul-ramps-up-efforts-to-transition-to-electric-transportation-6861

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  Seoul Ranks 16 Among 280 Cities in Global Startup Ecosystem Report

  등록일 2021-10-05 글쓴이 seoulsolution

  Seoul ranked 16 on the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2021 announced by the US-based innovation policy advisory and research firm Startup Genome, and Seoul’s ecosystem value was assessed at KRW 54 trillion (USD 47.2 billion). This assessment was conducted on 280 cities in 100 countries around the world, and Seoul ranked four spots higher than its startup ecosystem ranking at 20th in 2021 to receive the highest assessment after its inclusion in the assessment in 2017. Seoul placed outside the top thirty ranking in 2019, but placed in the top twenty thanks to its R&D competency and has continued to rise in ranking. Startup Genome specified the excellent pipeline of talented individuals and the high R&D investment as Seoul’s strong points. Seoul especially placed high in the top four global ranking in the area of “knowledge accumulation,” which is evaluated through research performance and patents. It was assessed that Seoul was home to a productive business environment, as nine of the eleven domestic unicorn companies (unlisted with more than KRW 1 trillion in enterprise value) are currently located in Seoul. Furthermore, Startup Genome gave a positive evaluation of the growth potential of Seoul’s startup ecosystem regarding Seoul’s active startup policies, including the formation of the startup base (cluster) throughout the city of Seoul. The Global Startup Ecosystem Report chose AI, big data and analytics along with life sciences and gaming as bullish industries in Seoul’s startup ecosystem. In addition, of the six items for assessment on this Global Startup Ecosystem Report, Seoul’s startup ecosystem acquired 10 points in knowledge accumulation, 9 points in networking (connectedness), 6 points in ecosystem performance, and 5 points in both funding and market reach. The ranking for the top five global ecosystems was the same as the previous year with Silicon Valley (US) at first, New York (US) and London (UK) at second, Beijing (China) at fourth, and Boston (US) at fifth. Six Asian cities ranked in the top twenty global report—Beijing (4th), Shanghai (8th), Tokyo (9th), Seoul (16th), Singapore (17th), and Shenzhen (19th).

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  Seoul Implements Various Policies for Hangang River Water Quality Improvement

  등록일 2021-08-10 글쓴이 seoulsolution

  Seoul Implements Various Policies for Hangang River Water Quality Improvement As a result of the continuous efforts of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), the water quality of the Hangang River, which flows across Seoul, has become cleaner. In 2020, every index that evaluates the water quality of the Hangang River has exceeded the target value that was set by the Ministry of Environment (MOE). This is due to various policies executed by the SMG, including the water pollution cap. The water pollution cap is a system in which the quantity of pollutants that flow into the river is controlled not to exceed the set total quantity. Each autonomous district must control the water quality to attain and maintain the target quality set by the MOE, and if not, development activities are limited. The SMG has implemented diverse policies aside from the water pollution cap for effective improvement of water quality. It has strengthened the criterion of the quality of the water that is discharged from four sewage treatment centers so that it becomes tighter than legal criteria, monitored the water quality through 82 water quality measure networks and responded to any risks. In the second half of this year, the SMG will be setting the action plan for the second-step water pollution cap (2021–2030). The SMG will achieve the water quality goal for 2030 set by the MOE, and find various ways for a clean and safe water environment.

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  Seoul Selected by Monocle as the 11th Most Liveable City

  등록일 2021-07-24 글쓴이 seoulsolution

  Seoul Selected by Monocle as the 11th Most Liveable City Seoul was ranked 11th in the Liveable Cities Index 2021 by the global monthly magazine Monocle. Monocle, a global affairs and lifestyle magazine popular among global op-ed readers for its exploration into urban lifestyle, announces a list of liveable cities around the world in its “Quality of Life” special edition in July or August each year. This was the first time Seoul has been included in the list since Monocle started announcing the list in 2009. According to Monocle, evaluation items used in the previous survey that are not suitable for the COVID-19 era were excluded from this year’s survey, and cities that successfully preserve the quality of life despite the pandemic and are ready to return back to life before COVID-19 were selected for the list. Ranked 11th, Seoul was evaluated as a city that offers high accessibility and a variety of enjoyments despite its gigantic scale. In particular, Monocle highly evaluated Seoul’s public transportation for being inexpensive and rider-friendly. As another merit of Seoul, Monocle pointed out that Seoul offers a number of locations where happiness can be enjoyed in everyday life, such as areas around Hongik University, Hyehwa-dong and Itaewon. In terms of COVID-19 response, Seoul, although being a city with high population density, received a high point for preventing extensive spreading of the virus through quarantine and contact tracing. In addition, according to Monocle, Seoul citizens’ respect for public safety and effort to wear masks and practice social distancing contributed to the city’s successful response to the pandemic. This year’s list was topped by Copenhagen (1st), followed by Zurich (2nd), Helsinki (3rd), Stockholm (4th), Tokyo (5th), Taipei (9th), Vancouver (12th), Berlin (14th), and Los Angeles (20th). In particular, Seoul’s accomplishment is all the more meaningful because only Seoul, Tokyo, and Los Angeles are metropolises with populations over 10 million placed among the top 20 cities.