Gumi-si Selected as Special Drone Free Zone ... Establishing a New Growth Engine Basis

Promotion of Demonstration Projects for Over 10 Drone Services in Defense, Public, and Environmental Sectors

Fostering Future Mobility Industry and Advancing Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport as a Key Hub City

Gumi City has been selected as a ‘Drone Special Free Zone’ by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, laying the groundwork to leap forward as a leading city in the future mobility industry in line with the construction of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport.

Map of the Selected Drone Special Free Zone.

The Drone Special Free Zone is a designated area where drones can be freely tested without various regulations. It allows for the practical testing of diverse drone utilization models such as logistics delivery, safety and environmental management, and drone traffic, enabling preparation for drone technology development and commercialization.

UAM demonstration.

Since July 2020, the city has conducted multifaceted reviews and consultations among industry, government, academia, research, and military sectors for about two years to secure a future mobility testbed through the Drone Special Free Zone. The city applied for designation in November 2022 and was finally selected through a business plan review in April 2023.

The Gumi Drone Special Free Zone is designated over an area of approximately 38 km² with a total length of about 22 km, spanning from Nakdong River Gumi Weir to the Gunwi Junction of the Jungang Expressway, covering Seonsan-eup, Haepyeong-myeon, Sandong-eup, and Jangcheon-myeon. It includes diverse terrains, a national industrial complex, related universities, expressways, and local roads, making it an optimal location to promote various practical tests for the commercialization of drone service models.

The demonstration operation system of the Gumi Drone Special Free Zone is divided into three sectors: defense, public, and environment, with plans to validate business models suitable for the characteristics of each sector.

In 2023, the city plans to carry out basic demonstration projects, conduct research services to discover specialized demonstration projects, and promote the construction of related infrastructure such as drone control systems, takeoff and landing sites, and stations. From 2024, the city intends to operate the Drone Special Free Zone by adding specialized demonstration projects.

The city aims to focus on fostering the aviation industry, a future growth business leveraging the largest inland national industrial complex and competitiveness in the electronics and IT industries. In particular, it plans to actively promote the development of the aerospace defense industry through collaboration with the Defense Innovation Cluster selected in April.

Additionally, by utilizing the Drone Special Free Zone, the city expects to lay the foundation for establishing an interregional air traffic system, contributing to the role of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport as a transportation and logistics hub in the future.

Going forward, the city is preparing related policies with a long-term perspective across the entire aviation industry, including expanding the Drone Special Free Zone, broadening the scope of demonstrations, developing core components and technologies for future mobility through collaboration among industry, government, academia, and research, industrial agglomeration, and training and supplying specialized personnel. The plan is to develop into a hub city for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport and the Yeongnam region’s future mobility industry.

Mayor Kim Jang-ho said, “With the designation of the Drone Special Free Zone, we can further enhance the capabilities of the electronics and IT component industries concentrated at the Gumi National Industrial Complex, which is the best in the country.” He added, “Going forward, the city will stand tall as the economic center city of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport through fostering the avionics and future mobility industries, and the benefits will be enjoyed by local companies.”

The Drone Special Free Zone is part of the government’s basic plan for drone industry development. In the first phase in 2021, 29 zones in 14 local governments were designated, and in the second phase this year, 18 zones in 9 local governments were designated. Currently, a total of 47 zones in 23 local governments are in operation. Through various drone demonstration projects and active communication with related industries via administrative and financial support by region, it has greatly contributed to the development of the domestic drone industry.

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