In 2025, a Dedicated UAM Lane for 'Flying Taxis' Will Open in Downtown Seoul

Publication of the Korean Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM) Operational Concept Document

On November 11 last year, a drone taxi was undergoing inspection ahead of a pilot operation for commercialization at Yeouido Park in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

In 2025, a dedicated skyway for flying taxis called 'Urban Air Mobility (UAM)' will open in downtown Seoul.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 28th that it has officially published the "Korean Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM) Operational Concept 1.0," which contains the operational strategy and scenarios for the commercialization of UAM services.

The operational concept includes step-by-step operational strategies for K-UAM commercialization, roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, and operational scenarios for normal and abnormal situations, outlining what needs to be prepared for commercialization.

It also presents a blueprint for the operation of a three-dimensional urban transportation system, including UAM corridors, which are dedicated skyways for urban air mobility.

According to the operational concept, K-UAM commercial operations will develop through three stages: initial (2025?2029), growth (2030?2034), and maturity (from 2035 onward).

Unlike traditional aviation industries, UAM operates by using vertiports (UAM takeoff and landing sites) located at key urban transportation hubs as transfer centers, terminals, or bus stops without the need for runways.

Thanks to the development of eco-friendly and low-noise technologies such as electric motors and distributed propulsion, UAM will operate in low-altitude urban airspace (300?600 meters). Helicopters that share flight paths with UAM will fly below 300 meters altitude.

(Data provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

Looking at the phased development of K-UAM, pilots will initially be onboard to operate the aircraft, followed by remote control during the growth phase, and autonomous control in the maturity phase.

The level of traffic management automation will also increase sequentially from "automation introduction" in the initial phase, to "automation-led with human monitoring" in the growth phase, and "fully automated leadership" in the maturity phase.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained, "This operational concept serves as a national blueprint for UAM services and is expected to be the starting point for active discussions on commercialization preparations within and outside the industrial ecosystem involving stakeholders."

The ministry plans to directly demonstrate the operational scenarios through a UAM flight demonstration scheduled for November. This will be the second event following the first flight demonstration held on November 11 last year in Yeouido, Seoul.

During this event, the metropolitan airport shuttle service (Gimpo·Incheon Airport to downtown Seoul), which is expected to be a commercial route in 2025, will be showcased to the public in advance, and the UAM operational scenarios presented in the operational concept will be verified.

The operational concept was finalized after review by the "UAM Team Korea," chaired by the Ministry’s 2nd Vice Minister. Team Korea is a public-private consultative body launched in June last year and serves as a policy community for domestic urban air mobility, leading the industrial ecosystem.

Hwang Seong-gyu, the Ministry’s 2nd Vice Minister, said, "If our companies, academia, government, local governments, and public institutions all join forces, we could become the first country in the world to introduce and normalize next-generation advanced mobility such as urban air mobility and autonomous vehicles," adding, "We will strive to commercialize UAM at an early stage."

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