Goheung-gun Designated as a 'Special Drone Deregulation Zone' by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

Regulatory Relaxations Including Special Flight Clearance, Flight Permission, and Flight Approval

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Goheung County (Governor Song Gwi-geun) announced on the 10th that it has been finally designated as a "Drone Special Free Zone" by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The Drone Special Free Zone is a pre-regulatory relaxation system that exempts or simplifies various regulations such as special airworthiness certification, flight permission, and flight approval to promote the practical use and commercialization of drone systems.

The county is known to have received high evaluations because it possesses the largest drone demonstration airspace in the country, the demonstration airspace does not overlap with private flight routes, there are no obstacles affecting altitude restrictions within the airspace, and it is a typical rural area with low population density, sufficiently separated from the demonstration routes.

With the designation of the Drone Special Free Zone, Goheung County is expected to strengthen competitiveness by linking drone demonstration airspace and aviation infrastructure so that drone companies can enter the market in a timely manner, which will lead to attracting drone companies and contribute to revitalizing the county's drone industry.

Accordingly, to commercialize through the development of drone business models, three demonstration projects?integrated flight demonstration of medium-to-large unmanned aerial vehicles, long-distance cargo transport to inhabited islands, and ultra-wide-area (beyond visual line of sight) quarantine demonstration?will be implemented with the participation of 10 companies, investing a total of 1.2 billion KRW over two years from this year to 2022.

The integrated flight demonstration of medium-to-large unmanned aerial vehicles is a drone demonstration project for drones exceeding 150kg in aircraft weight to be deployed in military site surveillance and fire scenes. Three private companies will participate and promote the demonstration project at the Goheung Aviation Center and the Goheung Bay area through the relaxation of special airworthiness certification procedures.

The long-distance cargo transport to inhabited islands is a medium-sized drone delivery demonstration project utilizing Goheung County's geographical advantage of having many inhabited islands. Five private companies will participate and promote the project through the relaxation of beyond visual line of sight and nighttime flight regulations.

Additionally, the ultra-wide-area (beyond visual line of sight) quarantine demonstration involves two private companies participating to demonstrate quarantine by fully permitting beyond visual line of sight and nighttime flights, thereby improving the efficiency of quarantine against COVID-19 and livestock disease viruses and creating new disinfection and quarantine services.

Furthermore, since Goheung County was designated last December as the site for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's urban air mobility (UAM) flight demonstration project, the "K-UAM Grand Challenge Testbed Construction Project," it is expected to greatly aid the overall promotion of the county's drone industry.

Governor Song Gwi-geun said, "We expect that the designation of the Drone Special Free Zone and the resulting relaxation of drone-related regulations will contribute to the commercialization and business development of drone models," adding, "We will strive to establish Goheung as the largest drone industry hub city in Korea."

Meanwhile, the county is preparing to complete the Drone Specialized Knowledge Industry Center, a drone company cluster facility, in August this year. With nearby aviation centers, the National Comprehensive Flight Performance Test Site, and an unmanned aerial agricultural technology specialized agro-industrial complex being established, the county plans to continuously implement support projects for drone company growth and infrastructure development.

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