The government has revealed plans to expand public demand support measures to reduce the initial investment burden of domestic UAM (urban air mobility) operators.

At the K-UAM commercialization discussion jointly hosted by People Power Party lawmakers Tae-young Eom and Chun-sik Choi at the National Assembly on the 4th, Choi Seung-wook, head of the Urban Air Traffic Policy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, discussed the direction of the K-UAM policy based on the 'Urban Air Traffic Act' which grants regulatory exceptions.

■ “UAM law, different from existing aviation law”

As UAM is an agglomeration of cutting-edge industries, various tasks are needed to prepare for the huge market in related fields such as aircraft, vertiports, communications, and operation systems, but many areas remain as challenges due to insufficient laws and regulations.

Choi Seung-wook, director of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “The goal is to enact the UAM law and system to suit the new industry, which is different from the existing aviation law,” and “We are negotiating to reduce the burden on initial operators based on the UAM law passed last October.”

Consortium including SKT participated on this day Agencies strongly urged support for early-stage operators, arguing that administrative and financial support was needed to drive public demand or tourism demand.

SKT Vice President Shin Yong-sik said, “From the perspective of a private business operator, it is fortunate that the special law has passed, but we are investing a huge amount of money in the Grand Challenge, so I hope that lower-level laws will be organized quickly and specifically to remove uncertainty.”

SKT cited UAM’s main demand sources as not only transportation, but also public services, tourism, and logistics. However, it predicted that it would take time for UAM to absorb actual transportation demand and be commercialized.

Kakao Mobility Vice President Jang Seong-wook emphasized the need for connections with existing weather-based transportation and infrastructure to establish a successful UAM service. For example, he explained, “The main reason why water taxis were not able to become a close service was because the connections with other transportation methods at the beginning and end were somewhat insufficient.”

In addition, Kakao Mobility proposed a plan to maximize usability and increase urban acceptance by first introducing it in the public sector, such as the Korea Forest Service, National Fire Agency, and Korea Road Traffic Authority. In addition, it advocated a plan to grant a high degree of freedom to the private sector, such as Vertiport customer identification, simplified security processes, and flexible rate operation in terms of price.

It was revealed that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is reviewing the legal system in consultation with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and other related ministries for administrative and financial support. Director Choi of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, “We plan to secure stable operating expenses in order to create demand first in public projects,” and “We are preparing to come up with some form of plan with the relevant ministries by next year.”

The main content is expected to be a carrot policy that will induce the formation of a private-centered market by providing building incentives when establishing a vertiport. Director Choi added, “The government is basically willing to accept the opinions of companies as long as the system itself is centered on the private sector and is not linked to safety.”

■ UAM Act, effective from April 25, 2024 As K-UAM aims for initial commercialization in 2025, there is an urgent need for UAM operation concepts and technology standards that fit domestic conditions. In Korea, the K-UAM Grand Challenge is being promoted as a government-level public-private cooperative demonstration project.

Each company formed a consortium according to the roadmap from the initial stage centered on the metropolitan area in 2025 to the maturity stage of nationwide expansion in 2035. A flight demonstration was conducted in Goheung, Jeollanam-do last November, and verification is scheduled for the metropolitan area in 2024.

The government proposed a bill last August that outlines various regulatory exceptions for demonstration and pilot projects. The Urban Air Traffic Act is scheduled to go into effect in April next year after passing the plenary session last October. It defines key new concepts and includes information on demonstration project areas, demonstration operators, and pilot operation areas.

The significance of the UAM Act lies in the fact that it provides a legal basis for minimizing restrictions that arise when developing and verifying new technologies when following existing aviation laws through bold regulatory exception legislation.

In accordance with the regulatory exceptions to promote UAM utilization, application of existing aviation-related laws and regulations, except for the minimum regulations necessary for safety, will be excluded in the demonstration project area and pilot operation area.

Based on regulatory exceptions, discussions on registration and certification of urban aircraft, airspace, and flight procedures during the demonstration phase are underway, and it is expected that this will have an impact on the semi-urban and urban demonstrations scheduled for the metropolitan area next year. It is expected that early UAM operators will be able to take advantage of this and actively participate in the government’s demonstration projects, thereby gaining an advantage in being designated as UAM operators first.