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Launched Toward a 'New Future'

Saudi Arabia's massive future city project 'NEOM' was officially launched on 24 October 2017, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced it as a flagship city of Vision 2030. The name 'NEOM' combines the Greek word NEO (new) with the first letter M of the Arabic word Mustaqbal (future), embodying the concept of a city that experiments with future technology and sustainability. The city comprises five zones: THE LINE, OXAGON, TROJENA, SINDALAH, and the new coastal destination MAGNA. It presents a next-generation urban model through renewable energy-based operations, autonomous transport infrastructure, and an AI city management system.

▲ THE LINE — linear smart city model — Source: NEOM official website

When first announced, THE LINE attracted worldwide attention as an ultra-large linear city stretching 170km in total. However, since 2024, practical factors including rising construction costs and technical complexity have come to the fore, and as of 2025 the development has shifted to a phased approach beginning with a 2–3km section. Other zones — OXAGON and TROJENA — continue construction as planned, with core goals intact. The Hadad environmental restoration and ecosystem preservation programme also runs in parallel, pursuing both regional biodiversity and sustainable development. SINDALAH and MAGNA are being developed as sustainable tourism hubs centred on luxury marine resorts and natural heritage tourism belts respectively, with NEOM aiming to become a hub for tourism and culture alongside industry and technology.

▲ OXAGON — industrial and logistics floating city model — Source: NEOM official website

▲ (L) SINDALAH luxury Red Sea resort; (R) MAGNA coastal model — Source: NEOM official website

Expanding Korean Participation — Smart City, Energy and Digital Cooperation

NEOM is broadening its global partnerships, and Korean companies are actively involved. Hyundai Motor Group completed a pilot run of hydrogen buses in the TROJENA zone, demonstrating the viability of eco-friendly mobility technology, while POSCO signed a green hydrogen cooperation MOU with Saudi ACWA Power. Naver secured a contract to build a digital twin platform in major Saudi cities, making a full-scale entry into the smart city sector. In September 2025, Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment (MISA) officially announced a startup cooperation programme in AI, bio-health, and smart cities, institutionalising innovation exchange between the two countries.

A Convergence City of Culture, Technology, Tourism and Sports

NEOM Media is building an integrated content hub spanning film, drama, gaming, and digital publishing. It operates production facilities including Media Village and Bajdah Desert Studios, and has introduced a cash incentive scheme that reimburses up to 40% of production costs, attracting productions from around the world. In late 2024, it signed a co-production deal with Saudi content company Hakawati Entertainment for up to nine feature films, establishing itself as a new hub for the Middle Eastern media industry. This infrastructure provides a tangible foundation for organisations such as the Korea Film Council (KOFIC) — which has already signed an MOU with the Saudi Film Commission — to pursue co-production and location partnerships with Saudi Arabia. TROJENA was also selected as the first venue in the Middle East for the 2029 Winter Asian Games, set to realise a 'winter city in the desert' at 2,400 metres above sea level using artificial snowmaking technology.

▲ TROJENA — mountain tourism and sports city model — Source: NEOM official website

Through these diverse projects and international events, NEOM City is emerging as a new stage for international exchange where sport, tourism, and culture converge.