SUWON — Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae met Ina Adema, governor of the Dutch province of North Brabant, at Dodamso, the official guesthouse of the Gyeonggi governor, on the 22nd to discuss cooperation in advanced industries including semiconductors and future mobility.
Gyeonggi Province and North Brabant have maintained exchanges centered on advanced industries since establishing a friendship and cooperation relationship in 2024. The two regions serve as leading industrial hubs for South Korea and the Netherlands respectively, sharing strengths in semiconductors and innovative technologies.
The talks focused on broadening cooperation beyond existing areas into future mobility, including autonomous driving, intelligent transport systems and the use of traffic data.
"North Brabant is home to global companies such as ASML and NXP, along with the Brainport Eindhoven innovation ecosystem," Choo said. "Gyeonggi Province likewise has a concentration of companies and research institutes in semiconductors, IT, AI, future vehicles and batteries."
"If we connect the technological capabilities and future visions each region holds, we can generate significant synergy in advancing mobility technology," the governor added.
Choo highlighted a plan for autonomous intercity buses centered on Pangyo. Gyeonggi Province is preparing autonomous driving-based transport services with a target of actual operation in 2028.
"If companies and research institutes from both regions take part together, we can produce more substantive cooperation results," the governor said.
Adema responded that cooperation between North Brabant and Gyeonggi Province shows how two regions leading advanced industries can raise their competitiveness together through innovation and technology.
She also said that trust and cooperation built on shared goals and mutual respect matter more than ever amid rapidly shifting international conditions.
The two sides agreed to share advanced technology and policy experience in connection with related organizations including the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). They also plan to continue identifying specific joint projects.
Gyeonggi Province is currently conducting demonstrations in the Pangyo area linking autonomous vehicles, cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS), integrated control and driving data. The tests are verifying the safety of autonomous driving technology and its applicability to actual transport services.
Choo visited the Pangyo Techno Valley smart mobility demonstration hub and the Gyeonggi Future Mobility Center on the 8th, marking 100 days in office. At the time, the governor announced plans for test operation of autonomous intercity buses on expressways in 2028 and passenger-carrying demonstrations in 2029.
North Brabant is a core industrial region in the southern Netherlands. Centered on Eindhoven, it hosts advanced companies including chip equipment maker ASML as well as research institutes. Built on the Brainport innovation ecosystem, it is regarded as one of Europe's leading advanced technology industrial hubs.
Adema and her delegation attended the 2026 ITS World Congress held in Gangneung during their visit to South Korea. On the 21st, they visited the Smart City Integrated Center in Anyang to review smart traffic management and autonomous driving policy, and on the 22nd they visited Hwaseong Haenggung Palace in Suwon to experience Gyeonggi Province's history and culture.