Autonomous Vehicle Convergence Future Forum Performance Presentation Held
Includes considerations such as basic values, actors, and codes of conduct
Promoting simplification of temporary operation permit system and establishment of public consensus

On the 12th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held the 2019 Autonomous Vehicle Convergence and Complex Future Forum Performance Presentation at the Palace Hotel in Seoul and announced the 'Autonomous Driving Ethics Guidelines' containing basic values and codes of conduct related to autonomous driving.
Based on this, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to prepare a final draft of future policy directions for the introduction of safe autonomous vehicles that the public can trust and drive, as well as ethical conduct guidelines for the production and operation processes.

At this performance presentation, a presentation was given on the effectiveness analysis and improvement measures of the autonomous vehicle temporary operation permit system that has been in operation for the past three years. In the research process, similar overseas systems were analyzed and a survey and analysis were conducted targeting officials and experts from a total of 33 organizations that possess temporary operation permit vehicles to derive reliable improvement measures.


More than 70% of respondents were satisfied with the temporary operating permit system
According to the results of a study analyzing the effectiveness of the temporary operating permit system, policy targets showed a satisfaction level of over 70% with this system.

Respondents said the system was improved in 2016.There was a positive response to the expansion of the test run section from a positive method (driving is only allowed in areas designated by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) to a negative method (driving is allowed on all roads nationwide except for children's protection zones and elderly protection zones).

In addition, compared to similar systems overseas (annual insurance premium of 50,000 dollars in the US, approximately 60 million won in Korean currency), there was a high level of satisfaction with the low insurance price of temporary operation permit vehicles (annual insurance premium of 360,000 won) and the safety secured by installing additional safety devices.


Guidelines established after collecting domestic and international cases and public opinion
As a result of the study on measures to improve the system, there was a strong need to shorten the permit period by simplifying the application requirements for temporary operation permits. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to reflect this by conducting a detailed review of special cases that can be commonly applied, such as unmanned shuttles, when improving the system in 2020, and plans to promote simplification of the temporary operation permit system.
In addition, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is proactively preparing for the need for ethical judgment standards for autonomous vehicles, which are becoming increasingly important due to the continuous development of artificial intelligence and autonomous driving technology.

In order to establish ethical principles for autonomous vehicles, we have been conducting research on safety evaluation technology and social acceptability of autonomous vehicle vehicle/driver control transfer by reviewing domestic and international cases and collecting opinions since 2017, and announced the draft of autonomous vehicle ethics guidelines based on this research on the 12th.

The ethical guidelines contain ▲basic values ▲actors ▲codes of conduct that must be considered during the process of manufacturing and operating autonomous vehicles.

When drafting the ethics guidelines, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport reviewed domestic and international ethics guideline cases related to artificial intelligence robots and autonomous vehicles, including those in the United States and the European Union, and conducted a national survey. The ethics guidelines to be announced in the future will be revised and supplemented through gathering opinions, and the final version will be announced in 2020.

Lee Chang-ki, head of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Advanced Automobile Technology Division, said, “Since autonomous vehicles are a new technology, various policy studies are necessary, and establishing social consensus on ethical guidelines is essential.” He added, “We will promote the introduction of autonomous vehicles that the public can feel are safe through continuous research and opinion gathering.”

Meanwhile, the Autonomous Vehicle Convergence and Integration Future Forum was launched in 2016 as an organization to discuss the direction of autonomous vehicle policies by bringing together experts from academia, industry, and research in various fields to ensure the stable introduction and commercialization of autonomous vehicles. Every year, it conducts in-depth research and reflects the results in actual policies.

The autonomous driving ethics guidelines can be found on the website of the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, and you can also provide comments on the guidelines.