The Seoul metropolitan government said Tuesday it will provide free WiFi networks at every public place by 2017 as part of its efforts to strengthen its digital platform.

It said free WiFi would also be available in moving subways and buses, adding that it will work with the central government to ensure the proposed networks are not compromised.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said the metropolitan government plans to invest 460.5 billion won ($373.9 million) over the next five years to grow the so-called "diginomics" industry, a term combining the words digital and economics.

The city also seeks to extend the presence of the Internet of Things (loT) technology, according to the Seoul Digital General Plan 2020 adopted by Seoul.

The IoT is a concept in which all tangible objects are connected to the Internet and can identify themselves to other devices in order to exchange necessary data, with smartphones playing a crucial part in the management of other devices.

Seoul also aims to set up an integrated parking system in which car owners can check the locations of their vehicles in parking places and receive relevant data with their smartphones. The city said it would include 550 public and private parking places in that integrated system by 2020.

Seoul's ambitious plan for a ubiquitous digital platform comes amid growing worries that the city has lost its momentum for growth with a decline in its population of 10 million people. (Yonhap)