Cases and Implications of Domestic Digital Logistics Service Demonstration Project

With the global rise of digital government as a central policy agenda, the logistics sector has also witnessed growing interest in the domain of digital logistics—spanning academic research, practical implementation, and policy development. This study reviews completed digital logistics demonstration projects implemented in South Korea, aiming to analyze their major outcomes and implications from a multi-dimensional perspective. Furthermore, it proposes future directions for improvement in similar or extended initiatives. Since 2021, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) has been promoting digital logistics demonstration projects through open calls targeting local governments. This study focuses on case analyses from seven local and metropolitan governments that participated in and completed these projects in 2021 and 2022: Gimcheon, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Cheongju, Seoul, Incheon, Gimhae, and Iksan. Each case was examined in terms of its objectives, implementation strategies, and achieved outcomes. By integrating findings from prior literature and empirical cases, this research explores the conceptual framework and necessity of digital logistics, and derives policy and industrial implications from the demonstration results. Additionally, the study identifies areas for improvement based on issues encountered during the implementation phase, with a view to fostering a sustainable and virtuous ecosystem for digital logistics. The results from these large-scale demonstration projects, conducted by seven local governments with significant public investment, are expected to serve as valuable references for the formulation of future digital logistics policies and for driving innovation in the emerging smart logistics industry, both domestically and internationally