The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will double the number of pilot operation zones to 14, allowing private autonomous driving companies to test autonomous driving services in urban areas, tourist destinations, and parks starting in the second half of the year.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 22nd that it will hold a 'Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Operation Zone Committee' and confirm and announce as pilot operation zones seven new zones, including Gangnam and Cheonggyecheon in Seoul and Gangneung in Gangwon Province, and three existing zones, including Gwangju Metropolitan City, after comprehensive evaluations by relevant ministries and specialized agencies.

Private autonomous driving companies will be able to use autonomous vehicles, rather than commercial vehicles, to transport passengers and cargo for profit in the relevant districts. They will also be able to pursue commercialization through various autonomous driving demonstration services suitable for their business purposes by receiving regulatory exemptions, such as exemptions from automobile safety standards, when obtaining temporary operation permits.

▲ New autonomous vehicle pilot operation zone introduction services and scope (Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

The seven newly designated districts include urban areas with congested traffic (Gangnam, Cheonggyecheon), tourist cities with high travel demand (Gangneung, Suncheon, Gunsan), and new city areas with poor public transportation (Siheung, Wonju), and it is expected that various business models will be piloted for service.

Test runThe district is a new system introduced in accordance with the 'Autonomous Vehicle Act' that came into effect in May 2020. After designating 6 districts in the first phase (November 2020), 1 additional district was designated (April 2021), and 7 districts including Sangam in Seoul and Jeju were designated. With this designation, it is expected to expand to 14 districts in 10 cities and provinces nationwide in just 2 years.

The seven previously designated districts are: Sangam, Seoul; Pangyo, Gyeonggi; Jeju; Sejong; Gwangju; Daegu; and Sejong and Chungcheongbuk-do.

Among these regions, a total of seven companies in six districts, including Sejong and Daegu Metropolitan City, received limited transportation licenses and provided demonstration services to the general public, and the service is scheduled to begin in the second half of the year in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province.

Additionally, we plan to continuously expand the service scale in areas such as Sangam District, Seoul.

Second Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Eom Myeong-so said, “We will continue to actively support the development of customized autonomous driving services for local governments that wish to designate new pilot operation zones through consulting with specialized organizations. We plan to designate at least one additional pilot operation zone in each of the 17 cities and provinces nationwide by 2025.” He added, “In the mid- to long-term, we plan to actively promote the transition to a negative operating system so that autonomous driving can be tested anywhere in the country, thereby accelerating the era of commercialization of autonomous vehicles.”

He continued, “To ensure that our country can lead the era of autonomous vehicles, we plan to cooperate with relevant ministries to fully support private companies and pursue various policies to ensure that the general public can safely and comfortably experience autonomous driving services anytime, anywhere.”