Goheung-gun Prepares Smoothly to Launch 'Flying Taxi (UAM)' in the Sky

Published 07 Jul.2023 15:21(KST)

UAM Tourism Route Development Research Project Launch

Preparation for Selection of Government UAM Regional Pilot Project in 2026

Gong Young-min, Governor of Goheung County, Jeollanam-do, announced on the occasion of the first anniversary of his inauguration for the 8th term of the local government, “Goheung County plans to provide comprehensive support and efforts to advance the UAM industry ecosystem as a leading region, following its status as a drone-centered city.”

The government plans to carry out the K-UAM Grand Challenge demonstration project in two phases, aiming for the first commercial urban UAM operation in 2025.

[Photo by Goheung-gun]

The K-UAM Phase 1 open field demonstration project will be conducted from August this year to December next year at the Goheung National Comprehensive Flight Performance Test Center. Forty-six companies have formed 12 consortiums (7 integrated demonstrations, 5 single demonstrations) to verify UAM vehicle operation and safety, vertiport operation, and traffic management systems.

According to the county, construction is actively underway with a national budget of 34.8 billion KRW invested around the Goheung Aviation Center to build Phase 1 demonstration facilities for Korean-style Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM), including vertiports, parking areas, landing pads, and hangars, with about 75% progress.

The Phase 2 demonstration will be conducted in the metropolitan urban area from July 2024 to June 2025, limited to consortiums that pass the Phase 1 demonstration.

In preparation for the smooth progress of the K-UAM Phase 1 demonstration project, Goheung County applied for the designation of the Goheung Aviation Center and Goheung Bay area as a UAM demonstration zone and was selected as the second drone special free zone, making efforts for preliminary preparations to launch UAM vehicles into the sky.

UAM, known as flying taxis, is attracting attention as a future growth industry that will transform the entire future transportation industry ecosystem beyond a new mode of transportation. Recognizing this, Goheung County is also dedicating efforts to proactive responses for a tourism-oriented UAM regional specialized pilot project following its status as the only domestic demonstration area.

To secure the lead in pilot operation services that will allow UAM to fly over major tourist destinations in Goheung by 2026, since May this year, Goheung County has been jointly conducting a UAM route development research project with Yeosu City and Sinan County, with Korean Air, PNU Drone, and Daewoo Construction participating as executing agencies.

The Phase 1 research envisions a tourism route that covers major tourist spots in Goheung such as the Naro Space Center Space Science Museum, Space Launch Observatory, and Palyongsan Mountain, with a preliminary pilot route design expected by April next year.

Based on this, the county plans to gradually expand by applying for urban air mobility regional tourism pilot projects, establishing UAM routes linked to tourism demand, operating virtual reality experience simulations, creating UAM infrastructure hubs connecting neighboring cities and counties, and developing commercial tourism products linked to the Southern Coast tourism belt (Jeollanam-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Busan).

Governor Gong Young-min said, “Goheung is the first region in the country to have a vertiport and, as a peninsula area, it is the optimal location that meets stable flight conditions for the initial commercialization of tourism-oriented UAM.” He added, “The ultimate goal is to launch tourism-oriented UAM by utilizing Goheung’s abundant tourism resources.”

Meanwhile, Goheung County plans to hold the 1st Drone & UAM Expo in the second half of this year, providing a separate UAM boarding area within the event venue and offering visitors a virtual reality experience service to actually experience UAM boarding.