[Anchor]

Gyeonggi Province's Hwaseong Special City has hosted a large-scale AI expo in Seoul, following a similar event last year. This is seen as a strategic move to outpace competing cities in fostering cutting-edge industries and attracting businesses.

Reporter Choi Ho-won has the story.

[Reporter]

China's Walking C1 robot takes the stage, performing a ballet routine alongside a dancer.

At the exhibition entrance, humanoid robots resembling human faces greet visitors.

Marking its second consecutive year, Hwaseong Special City held its AI expo event in Seoul, following last year's inaugural exhibition.

[Jeong Myeong-keun / Mayor of Hwaseong Special City: If last year's 'MARS 2025' was an occasion to proclaim Hwaseong's future vision for AI, this year is an event to demonstrate how that vision is becoming a reality.]

With AI and robots recently being introduced across various parts of Hwaseong, changes are sweeping the entire city.

At an AI smart ward introduced in a local hospital, patient vital signs are tracked 24 hours a day, sending alerts to medical staff if an anomaly occurs.

In the Dongtan area, a care management system has launched a pilot program that provides wearable devices to the elderly and installs various sensors in their homes to detect crisis situations using AI.

[Kim Jeong-ju / Samsung Life Insurance Department Manager: It can even measure the sleep status of elderly individuals while they sleep through the night. Additionally, sensors operate in areas prone to slipping, such as bathrooms, by measuring temperature and humidity to enable a rapid response in the event of a fall accident.]

This Hwaseong-based company, venturing into the urban air mobility sector, recently succeeded in exceeding a maximum takeoff weight of 300 kg, including the aircraft.

[Kim Do-won / Voltline CEO: It can be seen as a transportation method that can fly directly through complex urban areas, moving between buildings.]

Along with these initiatives, Hwaseong launched a 60-member aerospace industry promotion task force and held an investment briefing session to attract next-generation businesses.

The event, which concluded yesterday (November 5), drew a total of 15,963 visitors, marking a 21% increase from last year.

(Photo: Yonhap News / Video by Jang Woon-seok | Footage provided by Hwaseong City Hall)