The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the city of Gangneung said on the 18th that the 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress will run for five days from the 19th through the 23rd at Gangneung Olympic Park.
The ITS World Congress is an international conference where governments, companies, academics and research institutes in the intelligent transport systems field share policies and research findings. This is the third time South Korea has hosted the event, after Seoul in 1998 and Busan in 2010.
Held under the theme "Beyond Mobility, Connected World," the 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress will feature 193 academic sessions, 428 exhibition booths, technology demonstrations, site tours and other programs.
The congress is expected to serve as a forum for discussing the convergence of transport systems with advanced technologies such as autonomous driving and digital infrastructure, centered on artificial intelligence-based ITS, and for charting the future direction of the field.
It will also provide an opportunity to showcase the ITS policies and technological capabilities South Korea has built up and to expand overseas expansion and new business opportunities for domestic companies.
The Export Plus Support Group, a pan-governmental export support body, will join seven related agencies to introduce a range of export support and export financing programs to ITS companies and local businesses to help them enter overseas markets.
During the congress, Land Minister Hong Ji-sun will host a high-level meeting attended by ministers and vice ministers from various countries and senior officials from international organizations to discuss policy measures for advancing transport systems under the theme "Future Transport Innovation Through AI-Based ITS."
Hong and Second Vice Minister Chung Eui-kyung will also hold bilateral talks with five countries and one international organization attending the congress to discuss cooperation on technology and policy exchange, demonstration projects and joint research in ITS and future mobility. Ha Jung-woo, vice chairman of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee, will deliver a keynote address on how the combination of AI and ITS will change future transport.
As part of the K-Drone Festival held in conjunction with the congress, 3,500 drones will stage a light show depicting the event's theme at 8 p.m. on the opening day in front of the Gangneung Convention Center. An ITS ice show featuring figure skater Cha Jun-hwan and other performers will be held at 7 p.m. on the 22nd at the Hockey Centre.
"ITS is evolving beyond simple traffic management into a core field that is transforming future transport as it combines with advanced technologies such as autonomous driving and AI," Hong said. "I hope this will be an occasion for the public to experience ITS technology in their daily lives firsthand and to feel the changes in future transport more familiarly."