The University of Seoul has been leading youth entrepreneurship and regional innovation since 2022 with the 'Seoul Impact' project, under the vision of 'The Most Seoul-like Influence, The Most Global Value.' The university particularly supports startups in AI-based urban innovation and social impact fields, creating a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem where technology and social value harmonize. It was selected as an excellent case in the regional revitalization field of the Seoul Campus Town project and received an A+ grade in the 2024 Seoul Campus Town performance evaluation. IT Donga introduces the growth stories and innovative achievements of AI startups fostered by the University of Seoul.

As climate change and public aspirations for quality of life intersect, human-centered, walkable cities are gaining attention. The '15-minute city' concept proposed by Carlos Moreno, an associate professor at Sorbonne University in Paris, France, has emerged as a new standard in urban planning. The 15-minute city refers to a living area designed to allow daily life to be resolved within 15 minutes using transportation means such as walking or cycling. South Korea has also announced policy changes. The Seoul Metropolitan Government addressed the creation of a walking daily life zone in the 2040 Seoul Urban Basic Plan. The goal is to form a self-sufficient living area where various activities such as work, education, shopping, leisure, and culture can be enjoyed within a 30-minute walk.

Governments worldwide are expanding bicycle paths and pedestrian spaces to build sustainable mobility infrastructure. Simultaneously, they are establishing data-based urban analysis systems to draw a blueprint for future cities. However, the digital tools currently in use still prioritize the efficient movement of vehicles. While focusing on reducing travel time by seconds, the joy of the journey, the excitement of discovering unfamiliar alleys, and the leisure of experiencing urban landscapes are neglected.



The mobility technology startup Mobilintic focuses on the process of human movement rather than the destination. While fast and precise route guidance is important, the innovation of the future mobility environment lies in walking, which allows for rediscovering the city on foot. How does Mobilintic intend to place human experience and walking at the center of mobility technology? A conversation was held with Jiyeon Hong, CEO of Mobilintic.

Research Experience in the Transportation Field Leads to Entrepreneurship

“I was contemplating whether to continue my life as a research professor. I wanted to create change in the field, not just end with research. I founded Mobilintic with the thought of commercializing the research I wanted to conduct.”

Jiyeon Hong, who has been active as a university research professor, has conducted research in the transportation field. Despite experiencing career interruptions due to working in local governments and childcare, she maintained her passion for the transportation field. Ultimately, she decided to start a business to properly pursue the research she desired.

Mobilintic's pioneering of the walking domain is due to Jiyeon Hong's personal experiences and research achievements. She stated, “I love walking very much. I even challenged myself to walk across all the Han River bridges back and forth alone. What I realized while walking was that some streets are very pleasant, but others are inconvenient for walking.” However, she became convinced that differentiated service construction would be possible if walking information were datafied.

The walking index services experienced abroad also provided inspiration. Advanced countries such as the United States and the European Union provide services that score walking routes and indicate walkable roads. Jiyeon Hong solidified the idea that a walking index service is needed in Korea as well. Development was carried out based on walking-related research projects conducted at the university. While conducting research on region-based pedestrian volume prediction modeling, it was seen that the data could be connected to the business, leading to further refinement.

User-Centric Walking Platform Focused on Walking

The technology Mobilintic is developing is a 'walkable area display' system. Services like Naver, Kakao, and Tmap provide vehicle routes and travel times when a destination is specified. However, they lack features optimized for walking. For instance, they lack the ability to show area-based information such as cafes accessible within 10 minutes or nearby parks.

The walkable area display system marks areas on the map that can be reached on foot within the time set by the user. It implements a service that reflects actual walking routes rather than straight-line distances. Jiyeon Hong stated, “There are many places you can't reach even if they are close if there are many winding alleys. Displaying areas based on walking routes allows for accurate information delivery.”



Mobilintic believes that combining the walkable area display system with floating population data held by telecommunications companies and government agencies, as well as pedestrian traffic data from Seoul, will enhance the platform's completeness. Jiyeon Hong explained that using surrounding land data also allows for simulations predicting changes in the floating population.

The walkable area display system can be applied to various fields. Governments and local governments can use it for urban planning or commercial district analysis, and individuals can find walking routes that suit their preferences. For example, it meets the diverse needs of people who want a fast route, those who want to enjoy the scenery while walking, and those looking for paths suitable for the transportation disadvantaged. Jiyeon Hong stated, “Current transportation-related platforms are supplier-centric. Mobilintic aims to provide services tailored to what road users want. We want to create value that people can feel.”

Mobilintic sees the walkable area display system as potentially being integrated into navigation services or applied to various fields such as spatial information data, world foundation models (physical AI models), and digital twins (virtual physical spaces). To this end, the company plans to collaborate with public institutions to build data or undergo proof-of-concept (PoC) processes in specific spaces such as festivals and exhibitions, then expand its business areas.

Securing R&D Funding and Data Standardization as Challenges

Mobilintic is in full swing with technology development aimed at innovating the mobility environment. However, there are many concerns for the company to sustain growth. A major concern is securing R&D funding. Mobilintic's walkable area display system targets the public sector first. Since sufficient data acquisition is necessary, it is difficult to provide the service immediately. This is why research and development support from the state or local governments is needed. Jiyeon Hong stated, “It is difficult for startups based on public data to operate solely on private funds. Being selected for corporate support programs is essential to continue research.”

To overcome challenges, Mobilintic plans to expand participation in national research projects by leveraging its mobility research capabilities. The structure involves participating in projects hosted by governments, institutions, and companies to secure revenue. Beyond revenue, it is expected to be a process of proving the technology and reliability of the walkable area display system in the market.

The company is also focusing on securing data reliability and standardization. Since public data is provided in different formats by each institution, standardization and interconnection work are necessary. The process of resolving institutional barriers that may arise in the process of expanding public data into private services is also being carried out concurrently.

Aiming to Build a Human-Centric Mobility Environment

Despite difficulties, Mobilintic has achieved results by participating in transportation-related research projects. In addition to national research projects of the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the company has conducted research with various institutions such as the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, and the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute. The types of research are diverse, including comparative analysis of road traffic survey guidelines for recipient countries of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and evaluation of local government public transportation policies.

Mobilintic is also undertaking a project from the Road Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. This project involves establishing a future road technology roadmap, planning road technologies needed in 5 to 10 years, and selecting priority implementation tasks. Mobilintic expects to continue participating in follow-up projects once the current project is completed. The company is also actively filing patents. In addition to the walkable area display technology, joint patent applications are being conducted with Hyundai Engineering & Construction based on outcomes from joint research.



The support of the Seoul Campus Town at the University of Seoul played a significant role in laying the foundation for Mobilintic's growth through extensive activities. Jiyeon Hong, who worked as a research professor at the University of Seoul, moved into the Campus Town in April 2025. Various supports, including startup space, mentoring, business plan consulting, and networking opportunities, were provided. Learning data analysis methodologies using artificial intelligence also helped prepare plans for 2026. Jiyeon Hong stated, “A comfortable and stable space positively impacts projects. In that sense, the research space provided by the Seoul Campus Town was a great help. I believe it created a sustainable ecosystem rather than just providing space.”

“The goal is to grow into a representative mobility technology company in Korea that creates a human-centered mobility environment. We want to realize sustainable cities and people-centered transportation transitions through technology.”

Mobilintic looks toward 2026. Initially, the company plans to prove the effectiveness of its technology through pilot projects targeting small autonomous districts. In the long term, it aims to build a quantitative walking data platform, expand technology development, and achieve business performance. The company is also recruiting AI developers to accelerate research achievements. Jiyeon Hong stated, “We will create a platform that naturally connects policymakers, technology developers, and people.”

IT Donga Reporter Kang Hyung-seok (redbk@itdonga.com)

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