Suwon City to Support 'Flexible Parking' Pilot Program Using Idle Road Lanes as Parking Spaces

Suwon Metropolitan City (Mayor Lee Jae-jun) has been selected for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's '2026 Smart City Regulatory Sandbox (Smart Pilot Project)' and will provide pilot sites and support on-site operations for Dongsong I-Tech's 'flexible parking' initiative.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Smart City Regulatory Sandbox is a system that grants temporary regulatory waivers and on-site pilot opportunities when innovative services utilizing new technologies are blocked by existing regulations from commercialization. Dongsong I-Tech's 'flexible parking' project has been selected as a pilot project.

Flexible parking is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that digitalizes location information of spaces where parking is difficult under existing laws, such as idle road lanes along roadsides, and operates parking spaces by time period.

The service can be used through mobile apps, automated response systems (ARS), and QR codes without installing large-scale facilities such as barriers or unmanned payment systems. Users can check parking spaces in real-time, make reservations, and complete contactless payments.

Five organizations participate in the pilot: Dongsong I-Tech, Suwon City, Suwon City Research Institute, Korea Road Traffic Authority, and Korean Society of Transportation. Dongsong I-Tech is responsible for overall business operations including platform development, coordination with local police, facility construction, system operation, and customer service.

During the 24-month pilot period, Suwon City will provide advance guidance and on-site communication support to minimize confusion among citizens. The city plans to review the feasibility of policy adoption based on data accumulated from the pilot and, should the operator request amendments to relevant laws such as the Road Traffic Act and Parking Lot Act, support the submission of local government opinions.

A Suwon City official stated, "We provide pilot sites and administrative support so that private sector smart parking technology can be validated in actual urban spaces," adding, "We will work to minimize citizen confusion and analyze pilot data to review future possibilities for policy adoption."