When Using Drones for Aerial Photography, Report Instead of Obtaining Permission

Institutional Improvements to Alleviate Inconveniences for Drone Operators and Others

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] From now on, when conducting aerial photography with drones, it will be sufficient to just apply to the Ministry of National Defense before filming. Previously, permission had to be obtained, making the process complicated and inconvenient.

On the 6th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that to alleviate inconveniences for drone operators and others, the aerial photography 'permission system' has been changed to a 'notification' system and has been implemented since the 1st of this month.

Previously, permission had to be obtained prior to aerial photography, but this has been changed to a system where aerial photography is notified through the 'Drone One-Stop Civil Service.' Moreover, in areas where there are clearly no prohibited facilities such as open fields, notification is not required.

However, care must be taken not to film prohibited facilities such as military installations, and if prohibited facilities are filmed, legal responsibility lies with the individual, company, or institution that conducted the aerial photography.

Regulations related to aerial photography have been in place for over 50 years since the 1970s due to South Korea's security situation facing North Korea. However, the permission system for aerial photography, which is essential for the development, production, and utilization of drones?a new growth industry?has been consistently criticized as a factor hindering the growth of the drone industry. Additionally, as drone distribution has increased and more general citizens use drones for hobby aerial photography, complaints about inconvenience from the public have continued.

The Ministry of National Defense explained that, in line with the new government's regulatory innovation direction, the regulation was improved to establish a sustainable growth foundation for new industries such as drones and to resolve inconveniences for drone operators and the public.

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