The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has prepared guidelines containing safety operation standards for unmanned autonomous vehicles. This is a measure to ensure safety while supporting the development and commercialization of Level 4 autonomous driving technology.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 7th that it has released the 'Guidelines for Safety Operation Requirements for Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles'.

These guidelines were prepared as a follow-up measure to the plan to enhance the competitiveness of the autonomous vehicle industry, and contain standards that allow companies to demonstrate unmanned autonomous driving technology by obtaining temporary operating permits prior to the domestic enactment of international standards.

Level 4 autonomous driving is a stage where the vehicle system can respond on its own even in emergency situations, eliminating the need for a driver to be present.

The guidelines presented minimum requirements for temporary operation permits for unmanned autonomous vehicles.

The key contents include demonstration driving of over 15,000 km, establishment of a remote control system, redundancy of the autonomous driving system, emergency stop function, and a risk mitigation (MRC) response strategy.

In particular, it requires a minimum driving record of 15,000 km or more, and allows the driving distances of up to 5 vehicles with the same autonomous driving system and specifications to be combined with each vehicle having driven more than 3,000 km.

In addition, real-time monitoring through a remote control center, two-way communication devices between the vehicle and the control center, and the establishment of a response system to safely stop in the event of a system failure were included as essential requirements.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained that these guidelines were prepared following consultations with companies and reflect some of the terminology from the international standards for Autonomous Driving Systems (ADS) recently adopted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

We plan to incorporate the details of international standards into domestic laws through an amendment to the Automobile Management Act in the future.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to promote phased unmanned demonstrations centered on the Gwangju autonomous driving demonstration city, and to develop Level 3 autonomous driving services currently operating in pilot zones nationwide into fully unmanned systems.>
Park Jun-hyung, Director General of the Mobility and Automobile Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, “To secure global competitiveness, a leap to Level 4 is necessary,” adding, “We will pursue policies to ensure a balance between technological innovation and safety.”