• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.157-171
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to assess the smart city for major cities in Korea. The assessment indicators are based on the STIM structure (Service, Technology, Infrastructure, and Management Layer Architecture) of the Multi-Layered Smart City Model. Assessment indicators are established through smart city concepts, case analysis, big data analysis, as well as weighted through expert AHP survey. For the assessment, seven major metropolitan cities are selected, including Seoul, and their data such as KOSIS, KISDISTAT from 2017 to 2019 is utilized for the smart city level assessment. The smart city level results show that the service, technology, infrastructure, and management levels were relatively high in Seoul and Incheon, which are metropolitan areas. Whereas, Busan, Daegu, and Ulsan, the Gyeongsang provinces are relatively moderate, while Daejeon and Gwangju, the South Chungcheong region and the Jeolla provinces, were relatively low. The overall STIM ranking shows a similar pattern, as the Seoul metropolitan area smart city level outperforms the rest of the analyzed areas with a large difference. Accordingly, balanced development strategies are needed to reduce gaps in the level of smart cities in South Korea, and respective smart city plans are needed considering the characteristics of each region. This paper will follow the literature review, assessment index establishment, weight analysis of assessment index, major cities assessment and result in analysis, and conclusion.