Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Announces 2nd Call for 'Drone Special Free Zone' Applications

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced on the 15th that, together with the Korea Aviation Safety Technology Institute, it will conduct the second round of public recruitment for Drone Special Free Zones targeting local governments for 60 days from the 16th of this month to November 15.

The Drone Special Free Zone is an area designated by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport under the Drone Act to promote the practical use and commercialization of the drone industry. Various regulations such as special airworthiness certification, test flight permits, safety certification, flight approval, and radio conformity evaluation are exempted or simplified during test flights of newly developed drones, reducing the demonstration period of development aircraft by about five months or more.

MOLIT designated 33 sites in 15 local governments nationwide as Drone Special Free Zones in June 2021 following the first public recruitment in September 2020. Through this, more than 70 drone companies have been actively conducting demonstration flights within these zones for drone delivery, facility management, environmental management, and smart farming.

Local governments wishing to apply for this second round of recruitment must submit a Drone Special Free Zone establishment plan by November 15, including business plans within the special zone, safety management measures, and airspace coordination with related agencies, together with participating drone companies.

MOLIT will conduct a review of the submitted establishment plans through consultations with related agencies such as the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Science and ICT, followed by an evaluation committee composed of civilians. The designation will be made in the first half of next year through the agenda of the Drone Industry Working Council under the Drone Act.

Kim Heon-jung, Director of Aviation Policy at MOLIT, stated, "We will strive to expand regulatory free zones to promote and develop the drone industry," and urged active interest and participation in the second public recruitment for Drone Special Free Zones.

For application procedures and other details related to the second recruitment, please refer to the Drone Information Portal website, and detailed information can be obtained from the Korea Aviation Safety Technology Institute.

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