Gimcheon City Opens the Future Sky with Drones

by Kim Ihwan

Published 04 Mar.2026 17:48(KST)

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for K-Drone Support Center

On March 4, Gimcheon City, North Gyeongsang Province, held a groundbreaking ceremony for the 'K-Drone Support Center' in Deokchon-ri, Gaeryeong-myeon, with key officials including the Mayor of Gimcheon and National Assembly member Song Eon-seok in attendance.

'K-Drone Support Center' Groundbreaking Ceremony / Photo by Gimcheon City Hall

The 'K-Drone Support Center' will be constructed as a three-story building with a site area of 4,350 square meters, a building area of 1,563 square meters (473 pyeong), and a total floor area of 2,987 square meters (903 pyeong).

The total project cost is 16.6 billion won. The center will feature rooms for testing and analysis equipment to evaluate the performance of drone airframes and components, development support and manufacturing support rooms, testing rooms for development and testing purposes, and spaces to support the development of drone technologies, such as for businesses to move in. In addition, the center plans to install 10 types of measuring test equipment for supporting the localization of drone parts and 8 types of airframe manufacturing equipment.

National Assembly member Song Eon-seok, who attended the event, stated, "I hope the K-Drone Support Center will establish itself as a new growth engine for the drone industry in Gimcheon City and become a core infrastructure facility that revitalizes the local economy."

An official from the city said, "The K-Drone Support Center is not merely a research facility, but a space where companies can gather, conduct research, and carry out demonstrations freely. It will serve as a strategic base for localizing key drone parts that have so far relied on imports." The official added, "We will create an advanced research environment for drone technologies such as VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) and provide various equipment needed by companies to actively support the establishment of a robust drone ecosystem."