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Journal of Policy Studies
Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University

J. Policy Stud.

pISSN: 2799-9130, eISSN: 2800-0714

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52372/jps.e680

Article

Blueprints for tomorrow’s smart cities in South Korea: conceptual definition and timeline forecast from a policy delphi study

Seung-Yoon Shin1, Ahra Lee2, Choong-Sik Chung3,*
1Software Policy and Research Institute, Seongnam, Korea
2Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
3Department of Public Administration, Kyungsung University, Seoul, Korea
*Corresponding Author: Choong-Sik Chung Tel: +82-51-663-4528 E-mail: cschung@ks.ac.kr.

© Copyright 2025 Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: Mar 08, 2024; Revised: Aug 25, 2024; Accepted: Sep 29, 2024

Published Online: Jun 05, 2025

Abstract

This paper delineates the smart city (SC) concept in a South Korean context and, based on this conceptual definition, it forecasts the expected implementation timeline of the country’s SC pilot projects. Through the use of a three-round policy Delphi methodology, a consensus on the SC concept was reached, with an emphasis on a citizen-centric paradigm. The Delphi panelists predict that South Korea’s SC projects will be completed by 2030. However, the realization of its full-service SC capabilities is expected by 2035. These findings highlight the need for SC policies to prioritize citizens’ satisfaction and quality of life rather than only focusing on technological efficiency. Moreover, this study advocates using phased goal-setting in SC projects to emphasize the importance of integrating urban infrastructure with citizens’ daily lives. Based on these key findings, this study draws policy implications that can help SC policy practitioners.

Keywords: smart city; citizen-centered city; policy Delphi; digital transformation; digital governance