​S. Korea's first 5G-based smart sewing factory opens in North Jeolla Province

SEOUL -- South Korea has opened its first-ever 5G-connected smart sewing factory in North Jeolla Province. The smart factory operates robots for manufacturing.

North Jeolla Province said in a statement that the local government opened a smart sewing factory at a fabric research facility complex in Iksan some 177 kilometers (108 miles) south of Seoul. The factory also has a store that will sell products manufactured in the smart factory.

South Korea webbed with 4G and 5G data communication networks has a vast infrastructure for smart factories. The smart sewing factory is connected to its control tower server using mobile edge computing (MEC) technology that enables smart factories to communicate with servers through a 5G network without any delay.

The provincial government said that the MEC will help the sewing factory to monitor its manufacturing process in real-time and detect machine malfunctions or defective products. The factory is also equipped with a 5G-connected automated guided vehicle, an autonomous robot, that can carry products inside the factory.