Construction Research Institute showcases ARTTOKEN's K Digital ARTs at the Vietnam-Korea Smart City Construction Technology Cooperation Center inauguration.

A hub has been established for technological exchange in the fields of smart city and construction technology between South Korea and Vietnam.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 13th that the inauguration ceremony for the Smart City Construction Technology Cooperation Center between Korea and Vietnam was held at 9 AM (local time) in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The Korea-Vietnam Smart City Construction Technology Cooperation Center (VKC center, Vietnam-Korea Cooperation Center for Smart City and Construction Technology) was implemented as a Public Development Assistance (ODA) project by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to concretely execute the 'MOU on Construction and Urban Development Cooperation' signed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea and the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam during the leaders' summit in 2018.

This project, which involved participation from the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, KRIHS, KDI, LH, and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology in Land and Transport, was conducted over four years starting in 2020, with a total budget of 7.5 billion KRW invested.

The Smart City Construction Technology Cooperation Center is located at the AMC (AMC - Construction and Urban Development Department Training Institute) under the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam. It is composed of various facilities, including the Korean Smart City Technology Exhibition Hall, Smart City Certification Data Center, Pilot Master Plan and Smart Virtual Reality (VR) Experience Hall, and an Education Center.

It will serve as a focal point for the development and cooperation of smart cities between the two countries, facilitating technological exchange for Vietnam's smart city development, international joint research, and the local market entry of domestic companies.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo visited Vietnam last July to promote the implementation of the Urban Development Program for Vietnam (UGPP). Following this, he expressed his commitment to strengthening governmental cooperation, including signing an MOU on urban and housing development and an implementation plan for smart city and social housing construction.

It is expected that the inauguration of this center will support Vietnam's smart city development and fully initiate substantive cooperation between the two countries in the smart city sector.

Kim Sang-moon, Director General of the Construction Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "Vietnam is a key cooperation country for our ODA, and ODA cooperation in land and transport is active. We will continue to leverage land and transport ODA to actively discover cooperative projects centered on our strengths, such as housing/urban development, airports, and railways, and continuously support our companies' overseas expansion."

Vietnam is a major market with high demand for urbanization and regional development, and is the top country in Asia for overseas construction contract value, maintaining an annual economic growth rate of over 7%.

The successful inauguration of the VKC center was due to the tireless preparation and efforts of Park Jae-hyun, Project Director of VKC at the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, and the hidden patience and hard work of many others, spanning nearly six years since 2018.

Project Director Park Jae-hyun said, "After the leaders of both countries agreed to establish this cooperation center in December 2019, it seemed like it would proceed smoothly until receiving approval from the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. However, due to lockdowns resulting from COVID-19 and changes in the project site, the project faced difficulties and was delayed by about a year and a half."

Through the unwavering support of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Vietnam and the efforts and consultations of the Construction Research Institute project team, the two countries signed a Record of Agreement (ROD) between governments in October 2021, followed by an MOA for both countries' project teams in November of the same year. Based on this, detailed budgets and plans were finalized, and the project received approval from the Minister of Construction of Vietnam in May '22.

Attendees at the inauguration ceremony included Kim Byung-seok, President of the Construction Research Institute (Korea side), Choi Young-sam, Special Envoy of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Vietnam, Cheon Jae-min, Director at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Hong Seon, Chairman of the Korea Federation of Entrepreneurs; and on the Vietnamese side, Deputy Minister Nguyen Tuong Van, Vice Chairman Ta Dinh Thi of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, and Environment Committee, Chairman Tran Ngoc Trinh of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association (former Deputy Minister of Construction), and Director Tran Huu Ha of the AMC.

At the welcome speech for the VKC Center inauguration ceremony, Kim Byung-seok, President of the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, said, "While moving toward a digital and information-connected society is the first pillar for realizing the smart city vision, it cannot be a good smart city by itself. The second important pillar is the establishment of smart infrastructure. A good smart city can be built when an information society is established upon good infrastructure. And the most important is the third pillar: the people who can embody the value and philosophy of the city. In other words, when we prioritize and consider the hearts of the people living in the city, our living spaces can become closer to an ideal city."

While the construction of smart technology and infrastructure such as digital, AI, big data, and IoT is important for smart cities, they must also be systematically designed to allow citizens living in the smart city to lead healthy lives.

During the progress report on this day, Park Jae-hyun, VKC Project Director, said, "Internationally, it is important to create healthy cities for everyone through the common vision of smart cities—cities that are pleasant and where communication among people is smooth. To create a healthy city, improving citizens' digital literacy, as well as life communication through culture and art, plays a vital role."

K-Art (ARTs) is creating new forms of culture and art suitable for smart cities by converging with digital transformation, fashion, K-Pop (POP), entertainment, music, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT).

New creations significantly influence the creation of new communication methods among people. The revitalization of communication that creates new cultures among residents is the driving force for the innovation and growth of smart cities. This is because the fundamental basis of a smart city's technical growth lies in the satisfaction that citizens feel while living in the city.

Park Jae-hyun, VKC Project Director, the general project manager for the Digital K-ARTs demonstration, and co-planners Dr. Shim Jin-woo of Bezel Patent Law Office and CEO Jang Ja-yoon of JPLACE, decided to hold this event to showcase K-ARTs, based on the judgment that K-ARTs will significantly impact the culture, art, and form of the smart city.

In a smart city, digital art, which develops alongside technological advancement, has a complementary relationship with the creation of creative artistic experiences and a better urban environment.

Digital art can decorate the smart city as a more beautiful and interesting space while rapidly communicating with citizens. If the fusion of art and technology is applied to various fields during the planning stage of a smart city, it can greatly influence the formation of a creative smart city culture.

The artist recruitment for the video production was assisted by Nam Goong-yun-jae, Director of Hongik University Startup Support Center (ARTECH SQUARE), Hong Ji-sook, CEO of ARTTOKEN, and Park Ye-deun, CEO of KIP. POP IN BRIDGE provided some of the background music, and Editor-in-Chief Ahn Ji-hwan was in charge of producing a high-impact video for the inauguration ceremony attendees.

A total of 22 artists participated in the produced Digital K-ARTs video, including Andyworst from JPLACE; 7 artists recruited by Dr. Shim Jin-woo and CEO Jang Ja-yoon: Anikoon, Areum Kim, Aseum, Eunyoo, Kim Hui Eun, Mine Kim, Rokkan Kim; Berry Kim from KIP; 7 artists from ARTTOKEN: Cho Hyun Seo, Songa Yun, Taejin Seong, Jungyong Park, Sukju Lee, In Lee, Sara Lee; and 5 artists from Hongik University Startup Support Center (ARTECH SQUARE): Eddyyy, SIM moby, Isabella Lee, Jason Chae, Olivihan, along with designer HANNAH SHIN.

Project Director Park Jae-hyun said, "Just like the cross-over performance examples of Digital K-ARTs, presented at the VKC Center inauguration ceremony, the digital transformation of culture and art and its rapid propagation can bring about 'novel and new forms of change' in smart cities in future projects and exchanges."

The screening of digital K-ARTs by Korean artists at the VKC Center inauguration ceremony is expected to be recorded as a great asset for creating new art and expression, and to promote cultural and artistic exchange between Korea and Vietnam.

Source: Public News (hyunart2000@naver.com ) Construction Research Institute showcases Digital K-ARTs at the Vietnam-Korea Smart City Construction Technology Cooperation Center inauguration < Culture General < Culture < Comprehensive < Article Body – Public News (psnews.co.kr)