As Physical AI, which combines artificial intelligence (AI) with the physical world, gains prominence, the city of Seoul plans to implement a “negative regulation” system to facilitate real-world demonstrations of Physical AI technologies. This regulatory approach generally permits all activities except for a few specifically prohibited ones.
During a New Year’s press conference at Seoul City Hall on January 10th, Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced, “To actively support Physical AI demonstration projects, we will introduce a negative regulatory approach in our testbed. Our principle is to allow all demonstrations and tests, with restrictions imposed only in exceptional cases.”
Recently, Seoul declared its vision to become a leading city in Physical AI, unveiling plans to open the entire city as a permanent testbed for Physical AI technology demonstrations. The city aims to establish a “Seoul Physical AI Belt” connecting the Yangjae AI Cluster, a hub for AI technology, and the Suseo Robot Cluster, a center for robotics innovation. By 2030, Seoul plans to invest 100 billion KRW (75 million USD) to create a comprehensive support system from field testing to market development.
However, some experts argue for special provisions to mitigate risks for companies, such as liability exemptions for unavoidable accidents during demonstrations and the removal of certain administrative regulations.
Mayor Oh stated, “To promote Physical AI as a key policy for Seoul, I recently invited experts for a briefing. While some policies can be implemented at the city level, others require national legislation. We will engage with the federal government on national solutions, such as liability exemptions or insurance coverage, and I expect the Lee Jae-myung administration to be open-minded about these initiatives.”
In response to questions about his potential bid for a fifth term as mayor ahead of the June 3 local elections, Mayor Oh effectively confirmed his intention to run, stating, “I will safeguard Seoul.” He highlighted the city’s rise in the Global Power City Index (GPCI) from 8th place in 2021 to 6th in 2022, adding, “While all metrics have shown improvement over the past four and a half years, I’m still hungry for more progress. I’m committed to securing Seoul’s position among the world’s top five cities this year.”
Addressing speculation about challenges to his party leadership and rumors of defection, Oh clarified, “How could I manage party leadership while serving as mayor? I’m not considering leaving the party at all.” However, when pressed about the timing of his official candidacy announcement, he responded, “I believe it’s premature. There’s no need to rush when the party hasn’t even announced the primary schedule.”
Regarding Jeong Won-oh, the mayor of Seongdong District and a potential Democratic Party mayoral candidate, Oh criticized his handling of the Samhyo Ready-Mixed Concrete site development and proposed bus system reforms. He stated, “Several examples have exposed his limitations. The Samhyo site was the first target for our public contribution system during my first term, but when former Mayor Park Won-soon announced the 35-story rule, Jeong raised no objections, resulting in a decade-long delay in the process.”
Jeong Hyun-jeong, Reporter iam@etnews.com
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