[Global Economic] Seongnam Media Center Selected as a Metropolitan AI Education Hub, Advancing a Digital Culture City

Final selection in the Ministry of Science and ICT and NIA-hosted '2026 AI Lounge Hub Operation' contest

Five media centers in the Gyeonggi area and the Emotionwave consortium... Securing national funds and infrastructure

Activating 'My AI Lab' to solve local issues... Creating an experience zone and bridging the gap for vulnerable populations

The Seongnam Media Center, operated by the Seongnam Cultural Foundation, is set to improve its structure into a cutting-edge digital platform centered on citizens after securing a government project for building Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure.
The Seongnam Cultural Foundation announced on the 1st that the Seongnam Media Center has been selected as a final participating institution in the '2026 AI Lounge Hub Operation' public contest, which is jointly managed by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency (NIA).
With this selection, the Seongnam Media Center will expand its function to become a private innovation hub where citizens can intuitively experience advanced AI technology in daily life and solve various local community problems.

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Forming a one-team of 5 hubs in the Gyeonggi area and tech companies... Building a 'Seoul Metropolitan Area AI Network'

The 'AI Lounge Hub' project, one of the government's core digital inclusion policies, is a national project designed to lower the barrier to entry for technology, guiding all general citizens to organically integrate artificial intelligence into creation, learning, and real life.
For this contest, the Seongnam Media Center formed a mammoth consortium by joining forces with four key regional media centers in Gyeonggi Province—including Goyang, Gimpo, Anseong, and Hwaseong—led by the National Media Center Council, and 'Emotionwave,' a specialized technology company for AI media solutions.
The plan of this alliance is to form a dense metropolitan area AI education and experience infrastructure network spanning the north and south of Gyeonggi Province by organically linking the space and professional equipment of each institution.

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From experience zones to practical research institutes, solving local issues with 'My AI Lab'

Starting with the contest selection, the Seongnam Media Center plans to extensively remodel its existing infrastructure. The center will be densely filled with an 'AI Experience Zone' for constant hands-on experience, an 'Education and Practice Zone' for developing specialized capabilities, and a 'Digital Community Space' where citizens can freely share ideas.
The most eye-catching part is the full introduction of 'My AI Lab,' a practical project. It moves away from one-dimensional technical education that merely teaches tool usage, operating instead as a citizen participation research institute where citizens directly discover realistic local issues in Seongnam—such as housing, transportation, and environment—and simulate creative solutions using generative AI.
Furthermore, in the era of digital transformation, it plans to focus administrative efforts on narrowing chronic digital information gaps within the region by placing 'customized digital literacy education' for the elderly and information-vulnerable groups at the forefront.

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CEO Yoon Jeong-guk said, "We will realize a 'warm digital culture city' connecting citizens and technology"

Yoon Jeong-guk, CEO of Seongnam Culture Foundation, who has emphasized the convergence of technology and art since the beginning of his tenure as an arts management expert, expressed considerable anticipation for this project attraction.
CEO Yoon stated, "Artificial intelligence is no longer the exclusive domain of specific experts but has evolved into a universal technology that every citizen must consume and utilize in daily life," adding, "We will nurture the Seongnam Media Center as a central hub smoothly connecting citizens with advanced technology, thereby creating a standard model for 'Seongnam, a warm digital culture city' where humans are not alienated by technology." he expressed his aspirations.
Original article: Global Economic Lee Ji-eun reporter