Posted on August 5, 2026
South Korea will break ground on a 772.4bn won automated container terminal at Gwangyang Port on July 30, creating a national testbed for domestically developed cargo-handling equipment, operating systems and artificial intelligence.
The project will be built at Gwangyang’s Phase 3-2 container terminal and is scheduled for completion by 2029.
It will comprise four berths with combined annual capacity of 1.36m teu, using Korean-made quay equipment, container transfer systems and terminal operating technology.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries intends the facility to provide a controlled environment for testing and introducing automation across South Korea’s wider port network. It will also support domestic equipment manufacturers seeking to compete in the international terminal technology market.
The project has been incorporated into the ministry’s “physical AI port strategy”, which aims to move beyond conventional automation by applying artificial intelligence to machinery and physical cargo-handling processes.
Gwangyang will therefore serve as a demonstration site for next-generation technologies before their potential deployment at other Korean ports or sale to overseas terminal operators.
