Korea Transportation Safety Authority Establishes World's First Inspection System for Autonomous Driving and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

Established at Sejong Inspection Center
Full-scale Operation to Begin Next Month

The Korea Transportation Safety Authority announced on May 21 that it has established an autonomous vehicle evaluation system, capable of inspecting autonomous driving systems and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), at the Sejong Vehicle Inspection Center.

The system, named KADAS (Korea Automated Driving vehicle Assessment System), is, according to the Authority, the world’s first inspection system to incorporate an official evaluation framework for autonomous driving technology and ADAS. With the increasing adoption of vehicles equipped with advanced technologies, the Authority explained that it has been introduced proactively to assess safety and establish standards. The system is scheduled to begin operation next month.

It is also capable of inspecting existing vehicle test items such as headlights, braking force, speedometers, and emissions. Five major advanced safety features—including Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC, commonly referred to as cruise control), Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), and Forward Collision Warning System (FCWS)—can all be tested on a single dedicated test lane.

Dedicated lane for Sejong Inspection Agency's autonomous vehicle evaluation system (KADAS). Provided by Korea Transportation Safety Authority

The system allows for dynamic testing of four-wheel vehicles and steering (vehicle directional control). It can directly evaluate ADAS performance by simulating a virtual driving environment using real-time monitors and radar target simulators, rather than relying on the vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU) communications.

A briefing held at the pre-release event on the same day introduced the KADAS development process, which began in 2020, and its core technologies. The event also featured a demonstration in which a vehicle equipped with autonomous driving functions automatically braked and steered according to simulated traffic scenarios displayed on a front monitor. Officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and representatives from partner companies involved in developing the system attended the event.

Jung Yong-sik, President of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, stated, "KADAS will serve as a core safety net, enabling citizens to use future modes of transportation like autonomous vehicles with confidence." He added, "Going forward, TS will take the lead in innovating advanced vehicle inspection paradigms to ensure the safety of future mobility, using the Sejong Inspection Center as a foothold."

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