[Seoul's Future] 'Sky Highway' Unfolds Over the Hangang River

Core Corridor of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) over Hangang
Seoul to Conduct Phase 2 UAM Demonstration in Second Half of Next Year
Yeouido to Incheon Airport Reachable in 20 Minutes
Global Trend Like Electric Vehicles
Hangang Gains Spotlight for Low Communication Interference and Obstacles

One afternoon in 2027. Mr. Lee, an office worker in Yeouido, Seoul, suddenly had a business trip to the United States scheduled for that evening. He searched for the ‘shortest time’ route to Incheon Airport. Fortunately, he managed to get a plane ticket, but since it was close to rush hour, getting to Incheon Airport was expected to be difficult. Luckily, he was able to book an Urban Air Mobility (UAM) flying taxi through a mobility application (app). Taking the UAM from Yeouido, he arrived at Incheon Airport in just 20 minutes. As the route flew over the Han River, he also enjoyed a beautiful sunset as a bonus.

Starting next year, people will be able to see drones carrying passengers flying over the Han River. Until now, test flights have been conducted in remote areas or fields far from residential and commercial facilities, but full-scale pilot operations began this year and will expand to the Seoul metropolitan area next year. In particular, the Han River offers optimal conditions for UAM operations and is expected to become a new ‘sky highway.’

◆Second phase of UAM in Seoul in the second half of next year= The government’s first demonstration project for UAM, which is being fostered as a next-generation growth industry, will start this August at the National Comprehensive Flight Performance Test Center in Goheung, Jeollanam-do. Seoul City, in cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, will work to ensure the safety of the second phase demonstration routes starting in the second half of next year. The demonstration routes in Seoul will cover Gimpo Airport to Yeouido (18 km) and Jamsil to Suseo (8 km).

The fare is expected to be 3,000 KRW per kilometer (per person), so the 40 km route from Yeouido to Incheon Airport will cost around 120,000 KRW. This fare may decrease once UAM becomes more widespread.

UAM refers to a new concept of mobility using small aircraft with up to five seats powered by battery charging, taking off and landing vertically without runways at vertiports (vertical takeoff and landing pads), traveling along designated sky routes. It is an aviation mobility infrastructure and technology optimized for passenger and cargo transport, tourism and leisure, and emergency patient transfer.

The Korean Urban Air Mobility project demonstration, called the ‘K-UAM Grand Challenge,’ involves 46 domestic companies including airlines, automakers, telecommunications companies, IT firms, and construction companies participating as consortia or individual operators. They will showcase their accumulated technological capabilities in flight operations, traffic management, and vertiport development through the demonstration.

◆The Han River at the heart of UAM= The flying car, once only imagined, is becoming a reality centered around the Han River. The Han River has sufficient locational advantages to become the mecca of UAM. UAM is not the first mobility innovation centered on the Han River. The Han River helicopter and Han River water taxi appeared earlier but are widely regarded as failures.

However, UAM is different. Major overseas consulting firms forecast the UAM market size to reach $320 billion (about 414 trillion KRW) by 2030 and $1.474 trillion (about 1,904 trillion KRW) by 2040. France plans to operate personal air vehicles (PAVs), or ‘air taxis,’ for the Paris Olympics next year. Like electric vehicles, the global trend is shifting toward UAM.

Moreover, the Han River has great potential to become the ‘UAM highway’ of the Seoul metropolitan area. As a type of drone, UAM carries risks of safety issues due to possible crashes. For UAM safety, there must be no communication interference and few obstacles, making operation difficult in dense urban areas with many high-rise buildings. Therefore, the main stream of the Han River and its tributaries are attracting attention as key corridors for UAM.

Seoul City also views the Han River as the center of UAM. The city is considering linking the ‘Great Han River Project’ with UAM. In particular, tourism products that allow passengers to enjoy sunsets over the Han River while riding UAM are being discussed. Yoon Jong-jang, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, said, “Seoul will take the lead in preparing and supporting policies for UAM commercialization and will continue efforts to become a global leading UAM city.”

◆Many challenges including route development= There are still many challenges to overcome before people can ride UAMs flying over the Han River like taxis. First is route development. To popularize UAM, various routes connected to the Han River as a highway are essential. Yongsan, the center of Seoul, is expected to become an important hub connected directly to the Han River. However, flying is prohibited in the Yongsan area due to the presidential office and military facilities.

A no-fly zone (P-73) with a radius of 3.7 km around the presidential office has been established. It extends east to Dongho Bridge, west to Mapo, south to the National Cemetery, and north to the Seoul City Hall area. Considering this no-fly zone centered on the presidential office, areas around Yeouido, parts of Namsan, Myeongdong, Itaewon, and the Express Bus Terminal, which are densely populated, are also included, imposing many restrictions.

Military bases and related facilities in the metropolitan area also pose obstacles to setting UAM flight routes. Especially since UAM cannot pass through the Yongsan area when traveling east-west over the Han River, alternative transportation methods or new solutions must be considered.

Noise generated by UAM must also be controlled. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Seoul City plan to monitor UAM operational noise during the demonstration project. According to the National Noise Information System, sleep disturbance begins at 60 dB (decibels). It is unclear how much noise UAM will generate. However, if noise levels are similar to those of helicopters, which are vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, opposition is inevitable. Apartments and buildings located along UAM routes connecting the Han River and downtown will inevitably suffer noise pollution. Privacy concerns in these areas are also a worry.

Hong Sang-yeon, a research fellow at the Seoul Institute, said, “Seoul City is cooperating with central government agencies such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to build infrastructure and management systems to become the optimal testbed for the country’s first UAM introduction. In the future, integrated services through Mobility as a Service (MaaS) will enable seamless movement across various transportation modes including existing buses, taxis, urban rail, and personal mobility (PM).”

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