ITF Secretary General Kim Young-tae and senior transport ministry officials joined industry leaders at the launch ceremony ahead of the main summit on June 30
The Korea Future eco-Mobility Service Association (KFMSA) and Herald Media Group held the launch ceremony for the Future AI Mobility Summit (FAMS) 2026 at the Seoul Transportation Center on Thursday.
The event sets the stage for the main summit on June 30 at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul. FAMS 2026 bills itself as the country's largest AI mobility summit, organized under the slogan "Motion to Emotion" and the keyword "E-Cubed Revolution," referring to three pillars: EV-olution (electric vehicle innovation), Energy (clean energy transition) and Eco (sustainable mobility ecosystem).
The committee described FAMS 2026 as "a global AI mobility festival bringing together the world's top mobility companies and executives, scholars and key figures from Korea's political and business circles, and university students in mobility-related fields."
Government, ITF chief among 100 attendees
About 100 leaders from government, industry, academia and media attended. Guests included KFMSA Chairman Lee Seok-gu, International Transport Forum (ITF) Secretary General Kim Young-tae and Park Jun-hyung, director general for mobility and automobiles at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Also present were International Network of Korean Entrepreneurs (INKE) Global Chairman Park Ho-sun, Korea University Invention Association Chairman Lee Ju-hyung, Korea Development Strategy Institute (KDS) President Chun Seung-hun, Korea Electric Vessel Association (KEVA) President Yang Hun-chul and Seojeong University division head Shin Deok-sang.
"If past mobility discussions centered on glamorous manufacturing industries, FAMS 2026 will be a decisive turning point where practical K-Mobility services, including battery repair, maintenance and remanufacturing, set the global standard," KFMSA Chairman Lee said in his welcome address.
Kim Young-tae, who has led the 69-member OECD-affiliated body since 2017, said the global mobility market is projected to reach $2 trillion by 2032, with major economies competing in autonomous driving, urban air mobility and drones. He noted that transport ministers adopted AI policy recommendations at the 2025 ITF Summit.
"The innovative companies here today demonstrate that Korea has the capability to bring mobility innovation to the global stage," Kim said. "I expect Korea to lead global trends befitting its standing and build a trusted mobility ecosystem."
Park said the ministry released a Mobility Innovation Growth Roadmap in February covering autonomous driving test cities, regulatory reform and data infrastructure. "The government plans to strengthen support across the full cycle from technology development through commercialization to global market entry," he said.
Korea Herald CEO Kim Young-sang presented the summit roadmap. "Mobility once meant manufacturing. Now, combined with AI, its spectrum is expanding infinitely toward services and the maximization of human experience," he said. "The message resonating throughout the summit will be that 'people' matter most in mobility."
Seven MOUs signed, 19 subcommittees launched
Seven MOUs were signed with KDS, The Korea Herald, AIFuture Co., Circletour Co., INKE, KEVA and the Korea University Invention Association. The agreements aim to build what organizers called a "Global Mobility Silk Road" connecting India, the Middle East and Asia.
About 50 experts were formally appointed to the organizing committee, structured into an advisory council, strategic advisors and subcommittee chairs. Certificates were issued under the joint names of co-chairs Lee Seok-gu and Herald Media Group CEO Choi Jin-young.
Korea Herald CEO Kim Young-sang was appointed media advisor to KFMSA, and KFMSA Vice Chairman Lee Sung-hyun was named mobility advisor to The Korea Herald. Strategic advisors include Son Woong-hee (K-Robot industry), Han Young-yong (K-Arts and culture) and Lee Chang-woon (K-Mobility services).
Nineteen subcommittees were established across four broad areas. Technology-focused committees cover AI robotics (Kim Seo-hyun), smart railway innovation (Jeong Ji-won), smart city (Park Geon-do), intelligent energy storage (Choi Seung-ho) and mobility data communication (So Hyun-sub).
Sustainability-related committees include global carbon neutrality (Jeong Jae-hun), circular economy (Choi Seong-jin) and green vessels (Yang Hun-chul). Business and investment committees span global capital and VC (Ryu Seong-taek), global tech bridge and licensing (Rahiji Shayan), intellectual property and patents (Kang Jeong-woo), Unique Busan (Ahn Jae-hyun), mobility service demonstration (Son Heung-seok) and mobility service complex development (Jeong Rae-hun).
Education and culture committees cover global talent education (Shin Deok-sang), future growth for youth (Nam Jeong-wook), global learning innovation (Koo Ja-won, vice chair Jeong Ju-hee) and heritage protocol and K-Beauty (Kim So-hyung).
Delegation plans span China, India and Middle East
External cooperation chairs were appointed for global affairs (Lim Song-guk), China (Luo Lan) and India (Daniel Ryoo, vice chair Yoo Myung-hyun). Park Jin-hyuk, a Seojeong University professor, was named FAMS Supporters head for youth leadership development. Yang Won-chan, CEO of The Cloud, was appointed international event master PCO.
In a global business delegation session, China cooperation chairman Luo Lan, one of the first government-sponsored exchange students after Korea-China diplomatic normalization, indicated that senior Chinese mobility industry figures may visit Korea for the summit. India cooperation chairman Daniel Ryoo and vice chair Yoo Myung-hyun shared plans for localized service models in India.
A planned business delegation to the UAE and India was postponed due to Middle East tensions, but organizers said VIPs from Dubai and Sharjah, Al Salah Group Vice Chairman Sultan and Obaid Group chairman had confirmed attendance at the June summit.
The committee plans to send a delegation to China in May, attend the ITF Summit in Germany and join a forum in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in June.
Main summit set for June 30
The ceremony concluded with a vision declaration in which all attendees affirmed their commitment to the FAMS 2026 slogan. A VVIP gala will be held June 29 at RAUM, followed by the main summit on June 30.
The committee said the event will also feature younger participants, with students from ACT29 Jr. and Jeju international schools set to perform orchestral volunteer programs at the summit.
mjh@heraldcorp.com
