Goyang City Rises as K-UAM Demonstration Hub... Full-Scale Construction of Comprehensive Vertiport Near KINTEX Begins

Goyang City to Sign MOU with Ministry of Land on March 6
Vertiport to Be Built at KINTEX Daehwa-dong H1 Site
Development of Comprehensive Infrastructure for Urban Air Mobility Demonstration

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province is set to make a full-fledged leap as a key hub city leading the urban air mobility (UAM) industry in Korea.

Aerial view of Goyang City K-UAM demonstration infrastructure vertiport. Provided by Goyang City

The city announced on March 5 that it will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on March 6 for the construction and operation of Korean Urban Air Mobility (K-UAM) demonstration infrastructure. Under this agreement, a demonstration vertical take-off and landing pad (vertiport) will be established at the H1 site in Daehwa-dong, near KINTEX.

This agreement is expected to mark a turning point for Goyang City in establishing itself as a strategic base for the commercialization of urban air mobility (UAM). Goyang City will secure a practical demonstration foundation for actual flight operations in the metropolitan urban environment and develop it into an industrial infrastructure that can be utilized in the long term. This will enable the city to build the most advanced urban air mobility (UAM) industry development model among local governments.

The demonstration infrastructure to be developed will include a comprehensive vertiport, starting with a take-off and landing area (FATO), and will be constructed in phases to add a passenger terminal, hangar, and other facilities. The take-off and landing area is scheduled for completion in 2026 to begin demonstration flights for verifying urban operational safety, with the full infrastructure, including permanent buildings, to be completed by the end of 2027.

In particular, the vertiport being built in Goyang City will serve as a comprehensive test bed for commercial deployment, performing integrated operational validation among flight operations, traffic management, and vertiport, aircraft safety testing, and digital-based operational management system demonstrations. It will function as a core infrastructure, not only as a simple demonstration facility but also as a foundation that will extend to pilot projects and private sector commercialization stages in the future.

Goyang City is already recognized as a region with strong potential for integration with the future mobility industry, based on its large-scale exhibition and convention facilities at KINTEX, its broadcasting and video industry infrastructure, and its urban structure that supports self-sufficiency.

This construction of urban air mobility (UAM) demonstration infrastructure is expected to serve as a decisive turning point for extending the city's competitiveness to the future air mobility industry.

In addition, the city plans to foster an industrial ecosystem where research, testing, and corporate activities take place on an ongoing basis around the demonstration infrastructure. By promoting subsequent national projects and attracting private investment, Goyang City aims to grow into the central city of Korea's urban air mobility (UAM) industry.

Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City, stated, "This agreement is a significant milestone for Goyang Special City to emerge as a central city of the future mobility industry," adding, "We will actively attract related companies and research institutions based on the demonstration infrastructure and grow into a city leading the urban air mobility (UAM) industry in Korea."

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