Seoul from 'smart city' to 'intelligent city'?

Over the past decades, we've seen Seoul vigorously embrace all the buzzwords that passed by: 'ubiquitous', 'smart', 'big data', 'AI'.... you name it ('quantum' probably already in the pipe). For this early adopters' capital, impossible to pass for a laggard, even if that means wasting fortunes on soon-to-be-obsolete campaigns. And that's not pure marketing: you can feel it when you're traveling to a supposedly leading country, and have to do without the thousand things that make life easier here.

So no one should be surprised to see Seoul reach the 10th spot in the BCG's Intelligent Cities Index*. With a score of 76, it clearly lags behind number 1 London (85), but dwarfs cities like Paris (31st at 68) or Tokyo (35th at 63).  'Leading' in Strategy and Ways of working, and 'accelerating' in Outcomes, Adoption, and Enablers, Seoul confirms its 'all in' approach compared to more cautious rivals such as Paris.

Of course, we all know that all is not well in a city where the guy who delivers your fresh package minutes after you ordered it can't even afford the gas he used for the ride, in a city where seniors can't order a taxi or get a table at a restaurant because their phone is not smart enough or because they're too intelligent to depend on it for everything. Besides, let's not forget that just miles away from this online paradise lies a nation of hackers... 

If data for data's sake doesn't make sense, making sense of data is of the essence. Since last winter and the inauguration of MIT's Senseable City Seoul at the Seoul AI Foundation, I've been looking forward to seeing how it will leverage the considerable volume of information this city produces to help us better grasp how our society evolves and interacts. Not with a police state mindset, but a vision that blends tech, art, and mayby even a bit of fun.

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Seoul Village 2026
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* see bcg.com/publications/2026/how-ai-is-shaping-intelligent-cities. And while we're at new rankings, Seoul reached the top spot at the Quacquarelli Symonds's QS Best Student Cities 2027, followed by Tokyo and London (axes of comparison: University Rankings, Student Mix, Desirability, Employer Activity, Affordability, and Student View). 

IG post (20260203 - https://www.instagram.com/p/DUS9pCyD6RV/): "#SenseableCitySeoul officially inaugurated today - making sense of our cityscape with MIT's #SenseableCityLab and #Seoul's #SeoulAIFoundation. Can't wait to see how #CarloRatti, Diego Morra, and researchers from different horizons will apprehend this shapeshifter of a city."

'Archaeology of the Present' with Nuances

If you're a frequent flyer on  these 'Korean errlines', you're used to digging through layers of history, culture, and cityscapes. You know that neither Seoul nor Korea can be captured, but  you also want to know which wonder each new excavation can expose, which emotions each new voice can trigger.

So you're probably going to enjoy Nuances' upcoming  'Archéologie du présent' exhibition.

Founded in 2025, Nuances brings together a multidisciplinary group of Francophone artists and creators living or working in South Korea. This unique collective draws on the dual Franco-Korean cultural influence to offer a sensitive and original perspective on contemporary Korean society, through the richness of its contrasts and rapid transformations.

To mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and South Korea, Nuances presents its first group exhibition; 'Archéologie du présent' ('Archaeology of the Present'), will open on August 6 at France Art Space in partnership with the Alliance Française of Busan. 

Full disclosure: I've been a member of Nuances since last spring, when a filmmaker friend proposed this scribbler to join the collective. He didn't even need to bait me with the exhibition theme (hard to imagine one hitting home more powerfully!): I already knew a few of the artists and the group, which radiates a contagious positive energy, reaches far beyond what I could imagine. I only had a glimpse of the works to be exhibited and can't wait to explore the full show.

So come visit France Art Space in Busan this summer (August 6 to 30). The exhibition will come to Seoul this autumn (October 1 to 14) in a place where 'Archaeology of the Present' will resonate very particularily: our beloved KOTE in Insadong.

Exposition « Archéologie du présent » 
August 6 to 30, 2026
France Art Space, Annex of GOEUN Museum of Photography
Haeundaero 452beongil 16, Haeundae-gu, Busan
Nuances: @nuancesartistes 
2026.8.6-30 Busan @franceartspace_busan
2026.10.1-14 Seoul @kote.kr
Artists and creators: Sebastien SIMON, Pascal BELMAS, Jungran KIM, Tim FRANCO, L'Atelier PIEPRZOV, Jim VIEILLE, Nils BOUVYER, Emmanuel WOLFS, Elodie CATHERINE, Zoe CONSTANS, Salome DUBOIS HAN, Stephane MOT, Kamy DOBI, Ines MOLLARD ZAIDI, Celia BRISOT

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PS: about the work I'll be presenting at the show (below): 'You are here (a spacetime capsule)' / 'Vous etes ici (capsule spatio-temporelle)' / '당신은 여기에 있다 (시공간 캡슐)'

 

Seoul Summer Beach and Swag

From July 20 to August 9, a giant, free water park will welcome Seoulites on Gwanghwamun Square and Sejongno Park. After drawing about 900k visitors in 2004 and 1.5M last year, Seoul Summer Beach could be even more popular with a 3rd edition featuring pools, slides, and a sand playground. 

Who knows? BTS 'could spend a lifetime watching you swim'

The sandy space will be under a 12 m wide dome that brings more to mind an igloo than a summer beach, and won't allow you to fully enjoy Seoul's most iconic scenery, but sand can be messy, particularly during the rainy season. And hygiene should be less an issue; as a Parisian, I've never dared basking in Paris Plage's sandy stretches. 

I remember chatting with PARK Won-soon about Paris Plage. First meant for Parisians who can't afford going on holidays, this yearly festival covers the expressway along the Seine (now reclaimed by pedestrians) with a beach anyone can enjoy for free. The former mayor was toying with the idea of adapting that other Parisian tradition (following Velib, La Nuit Blanche etc), but it wouldn't make much of a splash along the Han River (too wide a river, riversides more disconnected from the rest of the city, Hangang Park already boasting its own water activities...). 

Gwanghwmun Square and Sejongdaero are much more relevant and impactful for this kind of festivities.

Which doesn't mean that the rest of the city will remain dry: we've seen neighborhood parks transformed into water parks during the summer long before Seoul Summer Beach existed, and there are so many ways of having fun while getting soaked, from the Sinchon Water Gun Festival and its giant water slide along Yonsei-ro to PSY's torrential Summer Swag concerts.

My favorite drenched memory in Seoul remains the day I was caught by a sudden downpour in Jongno-gu. The time to run twenty meters to the closest shelter, I was already totally soaked. Because there was no way a bus or a taxi could accept me, I decided to just walk back home peacefully, simply enjoying the shower with a great smile. 

Of course, as Seoul and Korea well know*, too much water can be dangerous. So enjoy responsibly, and have a great summer.

Seoul Village 2026
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* and as PSY also knows now: he was once scolded for hosing his fans with 300 tons of water during a concert in the middle of a drought.

Seongdong v. Seongdong

The race for Seoul mayor got a bit tighter lately: longtime Seongdong-gu mayor JUNG Won-oh seemed to be cruising towards an easy victory, but longtime incumbent OH Se-hoon is now within striking distance.

If JUNG's DPK and OH's PPP have become caricature parties in a deeply divided nation, the two leading candidates are not that radically opposed, and not just because OH was born in Seongdong-gu*. Both have had their share of controversies during their long tenures**, both are more pragmatists than populists, both have implemented policies that could have come from across the aisle, both have increased their territory's global attractiveness (Seoul back in the game and for the first time among the World's top 10 startup hubs, Seongsu-dong a magnet for influencers), and both pledge to build more dwellings to meet the demand from low income citizens.

Nevermind those decreasing populations in Seoul and Korea, and forget about making existing homes more affordable... build and they will come. Yes, their programs differ significantly (big, tall, top-down projects for OH, 'chak chak', district-level affairs for JUNG), but you can expect more concrete after this epic, vegetal-free 'Garden of Gratitude' erected on Gwanghwamun Square to honor Korean war veterans. 

Seoul's new Garden of Gratitude

 

One garden of gratitude for Seoul? One fortress of solitude for the winner? One hundred years of solitude for the loser?  

JUNG Won-oh - OH Se-hoon

Whoever wins, we'll keep an eye on him, for better or for worse.

Seongsu me.

 --- UPDATE 20260609 ---

OH Se-hoon eventually won by a slim margin, but another troubling scandal plagued the National Election Commission, who obviously caused a printed ballot shortage in key polling stations where OH was bound to score high. Like in 2022, a major crisis was avoided by the final outcome, apologies were issued, and the SNAFU fueled K-MAGA's 'stop the steal' conspiracy theories. But this time, Foreign media (including the FT) seem to be paying more attention to the ruling party's controversial reforms undermining separation of powers, particularly around justice.

Seoul Village 2026
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*  the only Seoul mayor to be born in the capital city BTW. JUNG was born in Jeollanam-do (Yeosu)

** or even before when it comes to JUNG, still haunted by a 1995 incident involving the assault of police force 

4th exclusive interview with KIM Jong-un - Chollyu time!

Even if eight years have passed since our last meeting*, the Beer Leader remembers me all right, almost choking me with a long, nicotine-laden bear hug. His daughter KIM Ju-ae opts for a quick high-five before returning to her smartphone - probably posting ahout the event on KCNA's latest app Instagrim.

KIM Jong-un: "Welcome back to my lair! See how my beloved daughter, the Morning Star of Korea, has grown into a perfect heir? You know she's already become a Missile General Director? Well from day one I've trained her so well.... she executed her first traitors before she could even walk."

Seoul Village: "How cute... a chip off the old block indeed. Your dynasty's 4G is enjoying a great coverage from your propaganda machine, but I can't see KIM Yo-jong today, and she's always photobombing our interviews from the background... Is she jealous because her niece got the leather jacket she always dreamed of?"

KJU: "Ju-ae wouldn't fit, fat chance.... No, Yo-jong's mission is over: we had to get our people used to a potential leading female figure from the divine bloodline, the time for 4G to grow out of her diapers."

Birds of a leather rule together - KIM 4G with her high fructose sugar daddy

SV: "Ever the gentleman... I also noted how you're trying to counter illegal Hallyu content by developing series shot in a more Hollywood fashion."

KJU: "Yup. We call that Chollyu. We produced very popular series, like 'Camp 14', which I'm sure inspired Squid Game. You know, our whole nation is a big survival game. BTS is also drawing huge crowds here."

SV: "BTS?!?"

KJU: "Yeah. 'Behind The Scenes' is a reality show devoted to torture techniques. Our domestic audiences are literally hooked to it."

SV: "You've also been exporting such niceties as cannon fodder to Russia or missile technologies to Iran."

KJU: "Among others, got that right. And business has been booming even more since the US have embraced the dark side of the force."

SV: "Wow wow, not so fast, the Midterms might put the brakes on your friend Donnie." 

KJU: "Yes, Donald is on the right track, except of course when he's unfairly competing with us. By the way did you see how his dynasty's raking in cryptocurrencies? And they're not even hiding behind hackers and aliases when they demand bribes or ransom or anything. But Trump is not the guy in charge of America. Pete will make sure November will come out just fine."

SV: "Pete? Not Vlad?"

KJU: "Putin showed the way, Thiel perfected it. With this guy, Trump won't even need redistricting. They've got all the data they want on every single citizen, they know what they're thinking because they shape it. Actually I asked him to upgrade our rusty software - can you believe we're still running on Kimchi Analytica 1.0?".  

SV: "So no need for another Trump-Kim summit then?"

KJU: "Not officially. Of course Donald will visit, but essentially on a benchmark tour of our regime: for his ICE facilities naturally, but also for his ballroom, his military parades, his monuments, his dynastic trickle-down economics, and of course his cult of personality..Trump is tired of the French model - doesn't feel personal enough. I was touched by his Trump pin initiative, a nice tribute to our tradition. I also loved his giant portrait on the Department of Justice HQ, a perfect symbol of the abolition of the separation of powers, but Don wants something more long-lasting than a banner."

'#TrumpPresidentialLibrary obviously designed to host a #NorthKorea plenum. #Trump #architecture' (20260331 - @theseoulvillage)

'#MAGA goes #KCNA:' (20250804 - @theseoulvillage)

 

'OMG #KarolineLeavitt is actually going full #RiChunhee!!!' (20260108 - @theseoulvillage)

 SV: "No summit with South Korea either?" 

KJU: "I don't need puppets down South anymore, now that I've got the perfect love triangle around me. When Trump pulls out the troops, Vlad and Jinping will maintain some Mexican standoff. Could get trickier when Putin kicks the bucket though. Russian mobster succession wars can get messy." 

SV: "You're distancing yourself from South Korea at the very moment a good friend rules supreme. LEE Jae-myung sent you money, legalized your propaganda, his unification minister leaked essential intel from the States... and you're still snubbing him?"

KJU: "The more I wait, the more he'll send my way. Besides, he's also busy with his own takeover of justice. Plus I have tests to run and he doesn't like that."

SV: "Nukes?"

KJU: "Our pyrotechnics shows will depend on which part of our catalogue our clients are interested it. It won't be as spectacular, but I'm also developing a lovely new weapon with Pete, Elon, and Vlad: swarms of nano drones. We all need them for our core surveillance and spying activities, but also for surgical removal of political opponents. Much more efficient and discreet than VX or Novichok."

SV: "Are Thiel and Musk also considering this kind of applications?"

KJU: "Which verses of Project 2025 and Dark Enlightenment did you skip?" 

Seoul Village 2026
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* see previous episodes: "Exclusive interview with KIM Jong-un" , "EXCLUSIVE-Second interview with KIM Jong-un", "Exclusive interview with KIM Jong-un - Season III"- Agence Fausse Presse.

SeMA's saemaeuldeul

SeMA's latest branch was inaugurated on March 12 in Siheung-dong, Geumcheon-gu. Between an elementary school, big apateu blocks, the huge district office and its namesake subway station, this long, low rise structure designed by KIM Chan-joong sits in a small park and dons a headband reflecting light like a screen, probably an echo to its dedication to new media art.

The new ship is docked to its neighborhood through an anchor outdoor installation (Yaloo's Shininho Landing), and an inaugural exhibition ('Mneme topos') honoring its own construction. Nothing revolutionary or pretentious; visitors are even entertained with fun signage from the parking lot to various outdoor spots. The idea seems to make families and newbies comfortable, contemporary art accessible to everyone. 

Seo-Seoul Museum of Art fills a cultural gap in southwest Seoul, and somehow combines Siheung-dong's nature dimension with Doksan-dong's industrial culture. Going to Geumnarae Central Park with the kids or to the district office for some administrative stuff? You can seize the opportunity and take a short cultural break. 

#SeoSeoulMuseumofArt in #Geumcheongu, #Seoul.#culture #architecture pic.twitter.com/DsmrQsiSbu

— Seoul Village 🇺🇦 (@theseoulvillage) April 24, 2026

Previously, SeMA only had one site south of the Hangang, in Gwanak-gu: the Nam-Seoul Museum of Art inaugurated in September 2004 in the former Belgian Consulate building relocated to Namhyeon-dong 21 years earlier.

Before Seo-Seoul, SeMA's last inauguration (in May 2025) was at the diagonal opposite in Chang-dong, Dobong-gu. A sliced dark cube - or should I say a camera obscura? - The Photography Seoul Museum of Art is a more daunting beast, with an edgier inaugural program featuring familiar names, but also experimental artists I'd never knew graced the Park Chung-hee era.

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As it opens, step by step, new Seoul villages to art, SeMA welcomes as always visitors for free. In case you missed any, here are the other venues:

• Seosomun Main Building: SeMA's Main Branch is located in Seosomun-dong, Jung-gu, in the original Supreme Court (built in 1928). Inaugurated in 1988, it moved in 2002 from Sinmunno-2-ga, Jongno-gu, within Gyeonghuigung grounds (now the site of the Seoul Museum of History).
  
  
• Buk-Seoul Museum of Art: inaugurated in September 2013 in Junggye-dong, Nowon-gu, SeMA's second biggest branch filled a regional void and often proposes interesting exhibitions
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Also:
• Archives, Seoul Museum of Art (inaugurated in April 2023 on the main axis of Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno-gu).
•  SeMA Storage (inaugurated in 2016 in the former Innovation Park in Nokbeon-dong, Eunpyeong-gu )
• SeMA Bunker (inaugurated in October 2017 under the Yeouido park and former runway - in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu)
• Nanji Residency SeMA  (in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu)
• Paik Ground (formerly Nam Jun Paik memorial house, inaugurated on March 10, 2017 in Changsin-dong, Jeongno-gu)

Seoul Village 2026
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Vinyl Nation

With 80% of its oil coming from the Strait of Hormuz and a currency crisis that started long before the Iran war, Korea is feeling the pinch at many levels. Beyond the obvious impact at the gas station, possible shortages in secondary products already loom on the horizon. Recently, panic-buying swept the pay+as+you+throw plastic bags issued by Seoul districts, and that's a good occasion to talk about plastic dependence here.

I mean we've seen decent progress regarding single-use plastics, for instance with reusable shopping bags at the supermarkets or reusable cups in fast food restaurants. But the land remains covered with 'vinyl houses', the East Sea the most polluted by microplastics, and the dreaded black 'vinyl bongtu' pervasive.

Black plastic is the most toxic (don't forget plastics are full of chemicals) and the most difficult to recycle. Why on Earth is this increasingly health-conscious country still hooked to that thing? You see it everywhere, and particularly where you should never see it: wrapped around food. 

And of course that black plastic is not even see-through; one of the reasons some people still prefer them to paper bags. The good news is that there are bio-source and bio-degradable alternatives that have become common in Europe, some can break down naturally in non-industrial settings, and leave no harmful waste. 

We could  also write volumes about the deadly combo of over-packaging and plastics here (how many layers of plastic even in Coupang's renewable 'Fresh Bags'?), but getting rid of these little black bags would be a good step forward.

Vinyl houses in Gimjae

Seoul Village 2026
Welcome to our Korean Errlines! Follow Seoul Village on Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, Substack, and X/Twitter, follow me on Instagram.
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