Korea opened an APEC forum on automated-driving policy, standards and data governance

South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on October 13 that it would host the 2026 APEC Smart Mobility Forum at the Westin Josun hotel in Seoul from October 14 to 16, with heads of delegation from ten APEC member economies attending alongside domestic and foreign speakers and industry representatives.

The ministry said the forum builds on the APEC Smart Mobility Recommendations produced at the first such forum, held last year under Korean leadership, which set out ten cooperation directions including integration, connectivity, innovation, prosperity and a human-centered approach.

The ministry placed two keynotes on the opening day, October 14, alongside the first of two mobility policy dialogues. One was listed for Mike Brown, chair of ISO/TC 204, the ISO technical committee responsible for intelligent transport systems standards, on what the ministry described as a future of cognitive mobility combining AI with intelligent infrastructure, vehicles and international standards. The other was listed for Hwang Ki-yeon, a KAIST visiting professor and former head of the Korea Transport Institute, on the safety and liability questions raised by full automation and the need for a new operating framework.

The second day is organized as three sequential sessions — policy, then operations, then technology. The ministry said the policy session covers smart mobility policy and institutions, international standards and data governance; the operations session covers member economies’ own deployment and demonstration experience; and the technology session covers AI, automated driving and digital infrastructure, sustainable and human-centered mobility, and the safety management of automated vehicles.

The release was distributed on October 13 for publication after 11:00 local time.