The Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority will hold the first drone park designation contest briefing session for local governments at Cheongju OSCO on June 10.
Currently, there are two drone parks in operation, Daejeon and Gwangju Buk-gu, designated as transitional measures after the revision of the Designation and Management of Drone Parks Act in August 2024. MLIT is looking to extend the number of drone parks nationally in line with the increase in uncrewed aerial flights.
“The drone industry has been growing steadily over the past four years, and public interest in drones is on the rise,” MLIT said in a statement today. “In 2024, the number of flight approvals was approximately 150,000, and the cumulative number of drone pilots was approximately 650,000. Compared to 2021, the number of flight approvals has doubled, and the number of pilots has more than tripled.”
Drone parks “provide a space where drones can fly freely,” MLIT said, and “lower the threshold for drone piloting experience.” The local government where the drone park is located would apply for exemption/simplification of pilot certification and flight approval.
“Anyone can experience the four types of drones at the drone park without a license, and drones of types 2, 3, and 4 can be flown freely within control zones and no-fly zones without flight approval,” MLIT said. It notes however that pre-approval application is required 3-5 days prior to the flight, with fines for violations.
Tomorrow’s briefing session is intended to increase local governments’ understanding and participation by providing information on the purpose and background of the drone park system, related laws and application procedures. The briefing session is open to local government officials for pre-registration, and approximately 80 people are expected to attend.
As MLIT looks to expand the number of drone parks, the appropriateness of the safety management plan for each site will be comprehensively evaluated, including the safety management organisation system, the status of safety management facilities such as safety fences, the level of establishment of a safety accident response system, and the plan for deploying dedicated monitoring personnel. In order to prevent citizens from being harmed in the event of an accident, group insurance subscription at the local government level, such as citizen safety insurance, will be mandatory.
The drone park contest will be held from June 11 to August 1 and applications will be accepted from July 28 to August 1.
Detailed information regarding the drone park contest can be found in the contest guide posted on the Korea Transportation Safety Authority notice board (www.kotsa.or.kr) from June 11.
For more information
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport – Republic of Korea
Image: Shutterstock
