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Busan City Calls for Conference Proposals for “World Smart City Expo 2025” – A Platform for Knowledge Sharing and Global Collaboration in Smart Cities

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The City of Busan (Mayor Park Heong-joon) has announced the launch of its Call for Conference Proposals as part of the World Smart City Expo 2025 (WSCE 2025), starting April 10. This marks the first time a local government is co-hosting the event with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT).

The World Smart City Expo is one of the Asia-Pacific region’s premier events in the smart city field. Since its launch in 2017, WSCE has brought together governments, businesses, experts, and citizens from around the world to explore smart and sustainable solutions for urban life.

This year’s event will be held over three days, from July 15 to 17, 2025, at BEXCO in Busan. It will feature cutting-edge smart city technologies and services, business showcases, and a series of conferences led by stakeholders from academia, industry, government, and civil society.

In addition to the main programs organized by the WSCE secretariat and host agencies, external organizations and institutions are invited to host their own smart city-related conferences through this open call. The goal is to expand the platform for knowledge sharing and cooperation.

Since 2022, WSCE has hosted an open call for conference proposals, selecting 5–10 sessions annually. For 2025, 10 conferences will be selected, and organizers will receive support for:

• ●Venue reservation (rooms for approx. 100 people)

• ●AV and interpretation systems (audio, video, LED screens, simultaneous interpretation booths, etc.)

• ●Staffing and technical assistance

• ●Promotion and conference video recording

• ●Design of visuals such as backgrounds and speaker profiles

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How to Apply

• ●Eligible Topics (Choose one only):

• 1.Tech

• 2.Governance

• 3.Data

• 4.Financing
  (Applications for topics outside these four should be submitted under “Other”)

• ●Application Period:
  April 10 – May 9, 2025

• ●Eligible Applicants:
  Any city, corporation, public institution, university, research institute, association, or academic society

• ●Submission Method:
  Online application via the official WSCE website:
  👉 www.worldsmartcityexpo.com
  *Final selection results and room assignments will be notified by email around May 16.

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Background and Significance

In 2024, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport launched a nationwide competition to select a new host city for WSCE. Busan was selected as the official host and will now co-organize the event together with LH, K-water, and BEXCO.

Busan City is planning a variety of special programs to ensure that visitors and participants experience the city’s unique appeal, while also showcasing Busan’s capabilities as a national pilot smart city. The event is expected to boost international cooperation among global cities centered around Busan.

Jeong Na-young, Director of the Busan Future Technology Strategy Bureau, commented:

“WSCE is a hub of cutting-edge technology and knowledge exchange, and a key platform to enhance global cooperation in the smart city domain. We look forward to receiving many creative proposals for this conference call.”
“This year marks the first time WSCE is being held outside the capital. We invite everyone to take part in this exciting new chapter, hosted in partnership with Busan.”