On the 20th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport appointed Kim Jung-hee as the new head of the Korea Agency for Infrastructure and Technology Advancement (KAIA).
On that day, Minister Park Sang-woo awarded Kim the appointment certificate and noted, "The role and responsibility of the Korea Agency for Infrastructure and Technology Advancement is critical at this time for the innovation of research and technology development in land and transport and the fostering of advanced industries", adding, "As the role of the Korea Agency for Infrastructure and Technology Advancement has expanded into the forefront of converged science and technology fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced mobility, please establish a future development strategy for the agency".
Minister Park emphasized, "It is essential to have a research and development implementation plan that reflects the need to proactively respond to the global growth and changes in cutting-edge technology", he continued, saying, "Research and development in the field of social overhead capital (SOC) safety accident prevention are important, with national safety as the top priority", and requested that research and development outcomes, including the localization of KTX and smart cities, be created to lead to practical applications across industries.
Additionally, Minister Park stated, "Research and development in the fields of urban air mobility (UAM) and autonomous driving, which are key to the future growth engine of land and transport, is a core task given to us, so I ask the Korea Agency for Infrastructure and Technology Advancement to actively participate with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport".