‘All navigation systems applied to Hyundai and Kia vehicles will automatically guide alternative routes if a flood alert is issued while driving in high-risk areas.’

Now, during the summer monsoon season, you can check real-time flood alerts through your navigation system for safer driving.

On the 10th, Hyundai and Kia announced that they signed a business agreement for the ‘Enhancement of Navigation Systems to Prevent Road and Underground Flooding Accidents’ in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Environment at the Han River Flood Control Center located in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

Attendees at the signing ceremony included Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho, Minister of Environment Han Hwa-jin, President Song Chang-hyun of Hyundai and Kia’s AVP division, and Director Hwang Jong-seong of the National Information Society Agency (NIA).

This business agreement aims to enhance public safety by providing a real-time flood risk alert notification service through navigation systems in preparation for flooding accidents caused by summer monsoons.

The navigation enhancement project is significant in that it generates synergy through cooperation between the public and private sectors. Since January of this year, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Environment, and the NIA have worked together with six navigation companies, including Hyundai and Kia, Kakao Mobility, Tmap Mobility, Naver, and Inavi Systems, to implement the service.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has coordinated the improvement direction of navigation systems in preparation for disaster situations, including flooding information. The Ministry of Environment has established a system for quickly providing flood risk information to the NIA, while each company is responsible for relaying the data mediated by the NIA to the navigation systems of cars operating in flood-risk areas.

Hyundai and Kia have been providing this alert service since the 4th, featuring not only existing flood control information alerts but also information on flood-risk segments due to real-time flood alerts and dam discharge risks.

In the future, Hyundai and Kia customers will receive hazard notifications through navigation systems when driving near flood alert areas, enabling them to take proactive measures such as detouring from affected roads or reducing speed before entering underground passages.

This service is available to all customers using Hyundai, Kia, or Genesis vehicles registered for connected car services, allowing them to experience it immediately without separate software updates.

Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho stated, “Today is a meaningful day as we sign an agreement to work more closely with companies that have been diligently working for public safety, and based on this agreement, we will strive for more active public-private cooperation to minimize damage to the public caused by rapid climate change and to enhance crisis response capabilities with digital technology.”

Minister of Environment Han Hwa-jin remarked, “Providing flood information via navigation is a significant achievement achieved through the collaboration of the government and private enterprises to protect the lives and property of the public from floods,” adding, “We will do our utmost to utilize digital technology in flood prediction policies and integrate advanced private technologies to ensure the safety of the public from floods.”

President Song Chang-hyun of Hyundai and Kia’s AVP division emphasized, “The collaboration system for public-private data sharing and technological advancement for real-time data-based services is becoming increasingly important,” stating, “Hyundai and Kia will do their best to promptly establish cooperation with the government and provide services to secure customer safety.”

Meanwhile, Hyundai and Kia continue to make efforts to create a safe road environment by sharing real-time traffic signal data from the National Police Agency and the Korea Road Traffic Authority at major intersections nationwide.

Written by Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr