The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is expanding its demonstration projects for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) to accelerate commercialization by validating existing technologies for local service implementation.
On November 9, the ministry announced the launch of the 'Neo K-UAM Grand Challenge (Neo GC),' which restructures the existing 'K-UAM Grand Challenge (GC)' into two pillars: technology validation and regional commercialization demonstration. A business briefing will be held on November 10 in Seoul, attended by over 200 representatives from local governments, businesses, and related organizations.
Since 2023, the ministry has been validating aircraft operations, traffic management, and vertiport operations in Jeonnam's Goheung and Incheon’s Cheongna. Moving forward, the demonstration will evolve from individual technology validation to a comprehensive assessment involving both government and private sectors using actual UAM aircraft for operations, traffic management, and facility management.
The newly introduced regional commercialization demonstration will involve local governments, businesses, and related organizations forming consortia. They will design services tailored to regional demands, including intercity travel, airport connections, and tourism, while gradually validating flight routes, takeoff and landing facilities, and operational methods. Local governments will focus on identifying regional needs and preparing infrastructure and administrative conditions, while businesses and related organizations will handle technical tasks such as aircraft operations and traffic management.
The ministry plans to hold a 'Partnering Day' in December alongside the official launch of Neo GC to support collaboration between local governments and businesses in forming consortia. The goal is to ensure that the demonstration results lead to future pilot projects and commercialization.
Park Jun-hyung, Director of the Mobility and Automotive Bureau at the Ministry of Land, stated, "The government and private sector will jointly validate the technologies necessary for commercialization and prepare for the actual introduction of services in the region. We hope this will serve as an opportunity for local governments and businesses to conceptualize services needed in their areas and develop the demonstrations into actual projects."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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