Gwangju City Designated as Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Operation Zone

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 10th that the Suwan District Seongdeok Park and Goraesil Park area, as well as the Pyeongdong Industrial Complex Pyeongdong Station area, have been designated as autonomous vehicle pilot operation zones.

In July, Gwangju applied for two zones in the autonomous vehicle pilot operation zone designation project promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. After document screening and review by the Ministry’s working committee, the zones were finally selected in the Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Operation Zone Committee review and officially designated.

The areas selected as autonomous vehicle pilot operation zones are 0.33㎢ around Seongdeok Park and Goraesil Park in Suwan District and 3.43㎢ around Pyeongdong Station in the Pyeongdong Industrial Complex.

The designated zones will be subject to the ‘Special Act on Automobile Safety Standards,’ which is more relaxed than current regulations.

Accordingly, the ‘Gwangju Unmanned Low-Speed Special Vehicle Regulatory Free Zone’ project promoted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups will gain momentum, and it is expected to establish a foundation for securing data related to autonomous driving and accumulating technological capabilities by demonstrating various special-purpose autonomous vehicles.

Additionally, with this designation, the ‘Special Act on Freight Motor Vehicle Transportation Business’ can also be applied, raising expectations for selection in the ultra-wide area cooperation project promoted by the National Balanced Development Committee, the ‘Establishment of a Smart Logistics Shared Platform Based on Eco-friendly Autonomous Vehicles’ project.

In this regard, Gwangju plans to apply for an expansion of the pilot operation zones in the first half of next year to include Bitgreen Industrial Complex, the demonstration section of the ‘Unmanned Autonomous Driving-based Untact Service Technology Development and Demonstration’ project led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Oh Ik-hyun, head of the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, said, “Until now, self-certification of unmanned low-speed special vehicles has been difficult, but with the designation of the pilot zone, it is expected to become easier to obtain.” He added, “Gwangju is expected to become more promising in the special vehicle industry and to occupy a favorable position to accelerate future industries.”

Professor Lee Jun-woong of the Intelligent Mobility Convergence Major at Chonnam National University stated, “The Gwangju Unmanned Low-Speed Special Vehicle Regulatory Free Zone project will expand the demand for specialized personnel.” He added, “As the number of students majoring in autonomous vehicles is increasing in Gwangju, the employment rate of related major university students in the Gwangju area will rise further, contributing to the revitalization of the local economy.”

Son Kyung-jong, director of the AI Industry Bureau of Gwangju City, said, “Starting with the Suwan District and Pyeongdong Industrial Complex designated as autonomous vehicle pilot operation zones, we will continuously expand to Bitgreen Industrial Complex, Bonchon Industrial Complex, and Advanced Industrial Complex, fulfilling the role as a testbed for various special-purpose autonomous vehicles.” He added, “By leading the automotive industry in the autonomous driving sector, a future growth-leading industry, we will establish a foundation for innovative growth of the local industry and the creation of new jobs.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.