Our territory holds significant potential in terms of accessibility. It is connected to major cities around the world through air routes. Plans are being made to maximize this potential by enhancing accessibility to various regions of Europe and Asia through shipping, rail, and road connections.
The Northern Sea Route refers to the Northeast Passage, a route from Europe along the northern coast of Russia to the Pacific and Asia. The total length from Rotterdam, Europe’s largest trading port, to Busan via the Northern Sea Route is approximately 15,000 km, making it the shortest route between Europe and Korea today. Due to the accelerated reduction of Arctic ice caused by global warming, the navigable period for the Northern Sea Route is expected to expand, increasing its economic viability. The volume of cargo transported via the Northern Sea Route is continuously rising. While traveling from Busan to Rotterdam via the Suez Canal requires a journey of about 22,000 km in 40 days, the Northern Sea Route reduces this to about 15,000 km in 30 days. It is also possible to reduce logistics and fuel costs from Korea to Europe. Consequently, Korean companies are preparing to utilize the Northern Sea Route, and Busan Port is conducting various studies and collaborations to become the logistics hub of Northeast Asia for this route.
 In rail transport, if the Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) is connected through routes such as the Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR), Trans-China Railway (TCR), Trans-Manchurian Railway (TMR), Trans-Mongolian Railway (TMGR), and Trans-Korean Railway (TKR), the Korean Peninsula will serve as an advanced base and gateway in the Eurasian logistics and transportation network. In 2014, Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) made significant progress in its vision for transcontinental railroads by becoming an affiliate member of the Organization for Cooperation between Railways, a coalition of railways from 27 countries, including Russia, China, and North Korea.
With the development of maritime and rail transportation, the Asian Highway Network (AH), initiated under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), is strengthening exchange and cooperation among Asian countries for road network connectivity. Launched in 2005, the AH encompasses a massive network of 55 routes spanning 140,000 km and connecting 32 countries in Asia. The international trade routes are numbered AH1 to AH9 with routes in Southeast Asia numbered AH11 to AH26, in East Asia AH30 to AH35, in South Asia AH41 to AH51, and in the North Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia AH60 to AH87. Two routes of the AH are set to pass through the Republic of Korea: AH1, which runs from Japan through the Korean cities of Busan, Seoul, Pyongyang, and Sinuiju, on to China, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Türkiye; and Asian Highway 6 (AH6), which extends from Busan through the Korean cities of Gangneung and Wonsan, then to Russia (Khasan), China, Kazakhstan, back into Russia, and Georgia.
The potential of open territory has significantly contributed to the Republic of Korea’s emergence as a leading nation in aviation and maritime transport. As of March 2024, Incheon International Airport has developed into a hub airport representing East Asia, directly connecting to 168 cities worldwide through 91 airlines. Building on this potential and the growth in trade volume, the Republic of Korea has become a major aviation power, ranking seventh in the world for air passenger transport in 2023 and second for air cargo transport in 2022. The air connectivity index, which evaluates the number of destinations served, the frequency of flights, and transfer connections, is a key metric for assessing an airport’s hub status. In 2023, Incheon Airport’s air connectivity index ranked first in the Asia-Pacific region. The number of air routes connected to domestic airports has steadily increased, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic period. The number of routes, which was 184 in 1998, rapidly increased in the 2000s, expanding to 379 in 2019. Furthermore, the Republic of Korea is at the center of major global shipping networks, including the Northeast Asia-Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia-North America shipping routes. According to the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index, which quantifies a country’s position within the global shipping network, the Republic of Korea ranked second in the world in 2021, following China
Korea and the World
The Republic of Korea is located between 33 and 44 degrees north latitude and between 124 and 132 degrees east longitude. Our territory shares land borders with China and Russia to the north, and faces Japan across the Strait of Korea, connecting the immense landmass of Eurasia and the Pacific Ocean. Due to its central location in East Asia, most major cities in East Asia are within a 5,000 km radius of the Republic of Korea. Beijing (956 km) and Tokyo (1,157 km) are about two hours away from Seoul by air, providing high accessibility to major cities on the eastern coast of China and in Japan. Southeast Asian cities like Bangkok (3,725 km) and Singapore (4,677 km) are reachable within seven hours, making Incheon International Airport a common transit point for many flights from Southeast Asia to North America. Additionally, Southeast Asia has become a major tourist destination for Koreans due to its favorable accessibility.
Most European cities, such as Berlin (8,140 km), London (8,875 km), and Paris (8,981 km), are within approximately 10,000 km, allowing travel to all parts of Europe through major hub airports. In North America, the distance to the west coast is about 11,000 km and to the east coast is about 12,000 km. While previously restricted by aircraft range, requiring a stopover in places like Anchorage, there are now direct flights to the eastern coast of North America. Most African cities are over 12,000 km away from Seoul, with direct flights available to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. South America is the farthest continent from the Republic of Korea, with major cities such as Buenos Aires (19,447 km) and Rio de Janeiro (18,140 km) being over 15,000 km away.
The Republic of Korea uses Korean Standard Time (KST). It is appropriate to use a single standard time since the territory stretches primarily from north to south. The standard meridian of the Peninsula is 135° E, which is nine hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). North Korea uses KST, and neither South Korea nor North Korea uses Daylight Saving Time. Korea uses the same UTC offset (+9) as neighboring Japan and is one hour ahead of Beijing, China. The regions that share the same time zone (UTC+9) with Korea, other than Japan, are Eastern Russia, Eastern Indonesia, and East Timor, which are at a similar longitude. The Korean Empire announced the longitude of 127° 30’ E as the standard meridian. In 1912, it was changed to 135° E by the Japanese. In 1954, it was reverted back to 127° 30’ E and that meridian has remained in use since 1961. Seoul is located at a longitude of 127 degrees, and the sun is due south at 30 minutes past noon. Korea is located in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Greece, Türkiye, Iran, Iraq, China, Japan, and the United States are at similar latitudes. These countries are all in the middle latitudes and the northern temperate zone, but the amount of precipitation varies depending on the position of both the continents and nearby oceans; thus, the natural landscapes for each country are different. Cities with a latitude similar to Seoul include Washington, D.C., St. Louis, and San Francisco in the United States; Sevilla in Spain; Athens in Greece; Palermo in Italy; and Mosul in Iraq.
Just as there are various perspectives on the Korean Peninsula, the view of this peninsula located in the northeastern part of the Asian continent has continuously evolved. In the past, the relatively small size of the territory and its geopolitical position as a peninsula led to a negative view, with a perception that it is vulnerable to foreign invasions and domination. However, the current perspective increasingly sees the Peninsula’s location as advantageous, providing an open space with good accessibility for expanding into both the continent and the ocean. This view highlights the economic, cultural, and geographical potential of the region.
Our territory is located at the junction of the vast Eurasian continent and the immense Pacific Ocean, placing it at the heart of East Asia. Consequently, our nation is recognized as a central hub for trade and logistics, as well as a space where knowledge and information circulate, making it a key region in the local economic sphere. As East Asia, including the Republic of Korea, Japan, and China, continues to develop rapidly, the global economic focus is shifting to this area. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of East Asia, which previously lagged behind that of the United States and the European Union, has surpassed the EU since the 2010s and is now on par with the United States. The trade and economic interdependence within East Asia is steadily increasing. From a continental perspective, there is potential for economic and cultural expansion across the entire Eurasian continent through the North, the enhancement of maritime trade with China and Russia via the East and West Seas, and development through the Northern Sea Route. From a maritime perspective, the Republic of Korea’s status as a Pacific coastal nation enables it to actively engage in economic and cultural exchanges with other countries, exploring further development opportunities.
Based on this exchange of people and goods, the Asia-Pacific region accounts for 30% of global aviation demand and is rapidly growing every year. It is projected that over the next 15 years, the Asia-Pacific region will account for 40% of global new aircraft demand. In 2023, Incheon International Airport ranked seventh in the world for international passenger transport and second for international cargo transport, following Hong Kong International Airport. In terms of maritime logistics, major ports with the highest cargo volumes globally, such as Shanghai, Singapore, and Hong Kong, are located in proximity to the Republic of Korea. Busan Port has emerged as a major maritime logistics hub, ranking seventh globally in container traffic volume. With such active exchanges of people and goods in the East Asian region, the Republic of Korea can continue to expand its connections and significance globally.
We are currently living in an era of great digital transformation with the potential to use digital models to simulate real and projected scenarios and solve real-world problems. A digital twin is a digital model of a real-world, physical entity. This digital counterpart to the physical twin (the real-world system, entity, or process) serves as an adaptive model that incorporates data about the physical counterpart in order to model, test, simulate, or monitor the real-world system or entity it is based upon. For example, the digital or virtual model can integrate physical and ecological data with human, social, and economic data based on 3D spatial information of the real world, such as buildings, roads, forests, rivers, and oceans. It faithfully replicates real-world objects like buildings and terrain in the digital realm, allowing for realtime data collection through sensors. The collected data can then be analyzed in various ways, and allow the model to adapt to real changes or to simulate different scenarios. The Republic of Korea is creating a digital twin with the ultimate goal of transforming our national land through the establishment of a smart city system where citizens can directly process and analyze data, enabling more informed decision-making.
In Korea, efforts to build digital twins are being made by the central government, local governments, and the private sector. In particular, the government is developing a high-definition (HD) map as the basic infrastructure for autonomous vehicles, enabling them to pre-recognize their location, set and change routes, and comply with road traffic regulations. The plan is to expand the coverage of this map to approximately 33,800 km by 2025, encompassing all national and provincial roads with four or more lanes.
V-World is a national spatial information utilization and support system that integrates and provides spatial information owned by the government, enabling anyone to easily use spatial information across various fields. It offers not only 2D spatial information but also 3D buildings, terrain, and other features of major cities in the country. Users can directly analyze and utilize this information for purposes such as sunlight analysis and landscape reviews. By providing open application program interfaces (APIs), V-World allows more people to develop applications and solve problems using spatial information-based data. Through the open sharing of this information, V-World continuously supports societal development and innovation.
Additionally, local governments are conducting Digital Twin Pilot Projects in collaboration with the central government. This initiative, which started in 2021, aims to discover and pilot innovative ideas that can effectively solve urban issues such as safety and environmental challenges using digital twin technology. For example, Asan City has built a 3D digital twin dataset and 3D spatial information for rivers. By linking rainfall and water level data, they conducted flood damage simulations, identifying areas at risk of flooding. In Chungcheongnam-do, 3D visualization models and base data for cultural heritage sites and surrounding areas were created, resulting in systems for cultural heritage management databases and visibility analysis. In Ulsan, digital twin technology was used for the efficient management of greenhouse gas emissions. A 3D database was constructed for the Nam-gu area of Ulsan, and algorithms were developed to predict carbon emissions and absorption for buildings and vegetation. This allows for visual confirmation of carbon amounts based on the placement and selection of buildings and trees.
S-Map (Virtual Seoul) is a digital 3D representation of the entire Seoul metropolitan area. It includes not only above-ground facilities but also underground infrastructure, with detailed representations of the interior spaces of major buildings. This platform enables the integration, analysis, and simulation of administrative, environmental, and other types of information within a virtual space. Specifically, it can enhance citizen safety support systems through fire safety management and address urban environmental issues such as fine dust, odors, and heat islands through detailed analysis. Additionally, by utilizing spatial data, S-Map fosters citizen participation and the development of customized services, encouraging citizens to engage directly in policymaking, share their opinions online, and use the platform as a communication channel to share information and interact with the government.
South Korea is also participating in overseas smart city construction using digital twin technology. In 2023, the K-City Network project solicited applications from nations around the globe to support the development of smart cities and expand international cooperation. A total of eight cities were selected for two different kinds of support projects. Ukraine (Uman), Indonesia (New Capital), Egypt (Badr City), and Azerbaijan (Agdam) were selected for planning support projects that aim to establish basic plans related to smart city development. Bangladesh (Rangpur), Vietnam (Haiphong), Türkiye (Sakarya), and Indonesia (Banyumas) were selected for demonstration support projects to facilitate the testing and validation of Korean smart city technologies and products in overseas cities.
South Korea has also contributed to various smart city projects abroad through Official Development Assistance (ODA). One notable example is the Project for Hue Culture and Tourism Smart City Development in Vietnam. This initiative focuses on constructing a database for cultural and tourism resources in Hue, analyzing these resources, and providing information to tourists. Additionally, it aims to create digital, integrated cultural spaces and smart streets, where public Wi-
Fi and smart lighting systems will be installed.
The application of digital twin technology to Korean national territory enables the analysis and simulation of complex land issues that are difficult to perceive or resolve in the real world. This technology allows these issues to be tackled in a virtual environment, providing insights and simulations that aid decision-making processes. Furthermore, South Korea is constructing digital twins to facilitate easier public awareness and direct citizen participation in analyzing data related to national land issues.