Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Establishes Regulations for Design and Driving of Partially Autonomous Vehicles
Vehicles equipped with the Auto Maintenance feature can be launched and sold starting in July.

Starting this coming July, the launch and sale of Level 3 autonomous vehicles equipped with lane-keeping functions will become possible, and safety standards for partially autonomous vehicles will be introduced for the first time in the world.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 5th that it is introducing safety standards for Level 3 (partially autonomous) autonomous vehicles for the first time in the world to ensure that autonomous vehicles can be safely manufactured and commercialized.

Under existing safety standards, the advanced steering system of Level 2 autonomous vehicles was designed to assist the driver, so even when the lane-keeping function was activated, the driver still had to drive manually. The driver must keep their hands on the steering wheel while driving, and the system is set to sound a warning alert after a short delay if they take their hands off the wheel.

However, the new Level 3 autonomous driving safety standards include technology that allows the autonomous vehicle system to continuously maintain the lane even when the driver takes their hands off the steering wheel within a designated operating area.

The Level 3 safety standards were established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport based on international trends discussed at the UN Forum on the Harmonization of Automotive Safety Standards and internal research results, incorporating feedback from domestic industry and academia.

Key contents include ▲clarification of functional distinctions by stage through the definition of autonomous driving systems ▲establishment of safety standards for partial autonomous driving systems by situation ▲joint integration of lane-keeping and manual lane-changing functions.
According to the Society of Automotive Engineers classification (Levels 0–5), Level 3 is classified as partial autonomous driving, Level 4 as conditional fully autonomous driving, and Level 5 as fully autonomous driving; Levels 1–2 refer to vehicles equipped with driver assistance features, while Level 3 and above refer to autonomous vehicles.

As Level 3 autonomous vehicles must be able to respond appropriately to various situations encountered during lane keeping, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has established safety standards for partial autonomous driving.

A system must be designed to detect whether the driver is seated in preparation for situations where the driver needs to hold the steering wheel while operating a partially autonomous driving system. This system ensures that the transfer of driving occurs only when driving capability is confirmed.

In addition, to enable autonomous vehicles to safely implement lane-keeping functions, performance must be implemented to accurately detect not only the maximum speed but also the minimum safe distance from the preceding vehicle based on speed.

When a situation is anticipated where the vehicle will exit the operating area, such as a highway exit, during autonomous driving, a warning is given 15 seconds in advance so that the driver can take hold of the steering wheel, and in the event of an unexpected situation such as sudden road construction, a warning to immediately switch to driving is provided.

In particular, in situations where there is insufficient time to request the driver to take control, such as when a collision is imminent, the system is designed to decelerate as much as possible according to emergency driving standards and respond with emergency steering.

If the driver does not respond within 10 seconds even when a driver response is required, the system is designed to slow down for safety while simultaneously activating emergency warning signals to minimize risk. In addition, the design must take into account system redundancy and other measures to ensure safe operation even if the autonomous driving system fails.

This amendment includes provisions allowing the system to be equipped with a Level 2 manual lane change function, in which the system safely changes lanes according to driver instructions, along with a Level 3 automatic lane keeping function.
Based on international discussions, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to gradually introduce Level 3 lane-changing capabilities, which allow autonomous vehicles to independently decide and change lanes.

Lee Chang-ki, Head of the Advanced Automotive Technology Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, “Starting with the introduction of these safety standards for autonomous vehicles, we plan to actively participate in discussions on international safety standards to support Korea in leading international standards for autonomous vehicles,” adding, “We will do our utmost to ensure that institutional deficiencies in the autonomous vehicle sector do not hinder industrial development.”

Meanwhile, the Level 3 autonomous vehicle safety standards prepared this time are scheduled to take effect six months after their promulgation, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to prepare detailed enforcement rules, such as test methods for verifying the performance of autonomous vehicles, before the safety standards take effect.