The Ministry of Government Legislation and the Korea Legislation Research Institute will jointly hold the Asian Legislative Experts Symposium in Seoul on Oct. 30.

Organized by the ministry since 2013, the conference brings together government officials and experts from Southeast Asian counties, including Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, to introduce their legislation to tackle common issues.

Under the theme “Legislative Modification Strategies for Smart City Development,” the participants will discuss legislation to better develop a smart city based on internet of things technology. The exchanges will help optimize the efficiency of city services from public utilities to crime detection, the ministry said.

Jung Jae-seung, a KAIST professor, will deliver the keynote speech. He currently serves as chief architect of Sejong SmartCity, a pan-governmental project that aims to turn the country’s administrative region into a model smart city.

Divided into two sessions, the forum will first examine the roles Korean laws have played in nurturing smart cities and the progress they have made in building them.

Chairperson Choi Hoan-yong, vice president of the KLRI, will moderate the first session. Legal experts and officials from Korea’s Transportation Ministry will talk about the latest findings in their research and suggestions for policymakers.

The following session will delve more in-depth on smart city projects currently underway in Southeast Asian countries.

Chairperson Kang Myoung-gu, a professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Seoul, will lead the discussion. Senior officials from the governments of Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia will each present their projects to build smart cities.

In particular, Vietnam whose ambassador to South Korea delivers a congratulatory speech at the event has shown exceptional interest in this year’s forum, having delegated two ranking officials in charge of city monitoring and control and law enforcement.

Following the presentation, local smart city experts and foreign academics will share successful legislation cases that helped smart city development.

By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)