Gyeonggi-do Gathers City and County Opinions to Foster UAM and Drone Industries

Gyeonggi Province held Gaia Day on the 10th.

Gyeonggi Province has joined hands with 31 cities and counties within the province to foster urban air mobility (UAM) and the drone industry.

On the 10th, Gyeonggi Province held 'GAIA-Day' at the old Gyeonggi Provincial Government building, attended by over 70 people including UAM and drone officials from 31 cities and counties, as well as representatives from Gyeonggi Transportation Corporation, Gyeonggi Technopark, and other provincial affiliated organizations.

At the event, Gyeonggi Province shared policy directions and technologies related to urban air mobility and the drone industry, emphasizing cooperation among related private and public institutions and local governments to nurture these sectors as future growth engines.

In particular, industry experts in urban air mobility and drones were invited to give lectures on domestic and international industry trends and technologies. Discussions also continued regarding major policies of the cities and counties and plans for forming consultative bodies.

The domestic drone industry has grown 4.2 times from 199.9 billion KRW in 2017 to 840.6 billion KRW in 2021, and is expected to reach 3.9 trillion KRW by 2032. Currently, there are 47,567 drone-related businesses nationwide, of which 14,344 are located within Gyeonggi Province.

The urban air mobility market is also rapidly expanding, with an estimated 66,000 users in the metropolitan area by 2035. Last month, the Act on the Promotion and Support of Urban Air Mobility (UAM Act) was promulgated and will take effect on April 25 next year.

Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province plans to collect opinions on implementation plans from each city and county to reflect them in provincial policies, establish a UAM and drone consultative body among cities and counties, and continuously cooperate by discovering and creating various infrastructure.

Jung Han-gyu, Director of the Advanced Mobility Industry Division of Gyeonggi Province, explained, "Gyeonggi Province plans to continuously promote support for related companies, workforce training, and citizen experience events for future mobility to foster urban air mobility, which is set for commercialization in 2025, and drones, which are currently being utilized in various fields."

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