Chungnam Province is driving a full-scale Artificial Intelligence (AI) transformation across all sectors—including resident welfare, industry and economy, culture and sports, safety, climate and environment, and administration—to promptly establish itself as the “AI Capital of Korea.”

On the 28th, the province held the “Report Briefing on AI Initiatives by Department” in the provincial government’s mid-sized conference room, attended by Governor Park Soo-hyun, Administrative and Political Vice Governors Hong Jong-wan and Gu Bon-young, and heads of various bureaus and offices.

The briefing was organized to identify mid-to-long-term AI initiatives that will fundamentally innovate residents' lives and industrial structures, and to select projects for reflection in next year's main budget. The schedule proceeded with an overview, reports by each bureau and office, followed by a discussion session.

Under the vision of “Chungnam, the AI Capital of Korea,” the province is pursuing three balanced policies: △ People-Centered AI Basic Society, △ Leading Advanced Industry AX (AI Transformation), and △ Region-Based Industry AX, supported by the △ Public AX Completion Policy.

Based on this framework, a total of 219 initiatives were discovered. Among the key projects, the “People-Centered AI Basic Society” field includes: △ Wearable robot support project for the mobility-impaired, △ Establishment of an AI-based counseling work support system for social welfare facilities, and △ Establishment of an AI-based care service system for island residents.

In the “Advanced Industry AX” field, discovered projects feature: △ Establishment of the Chungnam-style small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) AX model, △ Discovery and nurturing package for Chungnam-style AX startups, and △ Establishment of the “AI Chungnam-Tong” platform for SME support policies.

For “Region-Based Industry AX,” the province identified: △ Establishment of a Chungnam-style smart agricultural machinery safety notification app, △ Strengthening AI capabilities for social solidarity economic organizations, △ Creation of AI-based Chungnam historical and cultural contents, and △ Establishment of an AI-based livestock odor management system.

In the “Public AX” field, proposed projects include: △ Establishment of Chungnam-style AI infrastructure, △ Establishment of a Chungnam-style AI administrative innovation platform, △ Administrative burden relief and AI literacy education, △ Smart flood and storm disaster response system, and △ Establishment of an AI fire risk prediction and prevention management system.

The province plans to support the allocation of next year’s main budget for these priority tasks, while submitting large-scale government-funded project proposals to central government ministries and making thorough preparations for public contests.

Governor Park Soo-hyun stated, “The core of Chungnam’s AI transformation lies in the ‘three major balances’—between industry and people, advanced and traditional industries, and large corporations and SMEs. We must ensure that questions like ‘Industry is growing, but where are the people?’ are never raised. We must look after medical care, education, culture, and care services together with agriculture, fisheries, and SMEs.”

He emphasized, “From the policy and project design stages, provincial governance must now transform its constitution into an ‘AI-native local government’ that takes AI for granted. Let us pool our efforts so that the changes starting within the provincial office can reach the lives of our residents and industrial sites, firmly establishing Chungnam as the ‘AI Capital of Korea.’”

Beginning with this briefing, Chungnam Province plans to formulate a comprehensive master plan for the AI Capital of Korea, declare its vision, and systematically verify results to expand its impact.

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