The 'K-UAM Dream Team' consortium, consisting of SK Telecom, Korea Airports Corporation, and Hanwha Systems, is joining forces with Jeju City to provide commercial UAM services by 2025.

The 'K-UAM Dream Team' announced that it participated in a signing ceremony held at the Jeju Provincial Office on the 14th with Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the 'UAM pilot project'.

Through this agreement, plans are underway to establish vertiports and a UAM traffic management system for a pilot operation service connecting Jeju Airport and major tourist destinations.

With the 'Act on the Promotion and Support of Urban Air Mobility Utilization' proposed last August and the 'Policy Seminar for the Development of the UAM Urban Air Mobility Industry' held on the 14th, institutional discussions for UAM pilot projects have begun.

The consortium and Jeju City plan to create a business environment by modifying and supplementing the current aviation systems and infrastructure in Jeju Island. SKT explained that Jeju Island has the advantage of being geographically advantageous for securing public acceptance and maximizing the utilization of Jeju Airport and navigation facilities owned by Korea Airports Corporation.

For the Jeju UAM pilot project in 2025, SKT will be responsible for providing UAM services, developing and operating mobility platforms, and communication systems for UAM based on a cooperative framework with Joby Aviation of the U.S.

Korea Airports Corporation will be responsible for establishing UAM vertiports and providing UAM traffic management services by utilizing navigation safety facility infrastructure operated by the corporation; Hanwha Systems will be responsible for UAM airframe development, manufacturing, sales, operation, and maintenance (MRO), and development of navigation and control solutions; and Jeju Province will be responsible for providing UAM operation sites and infrastructure, as well as creating a policy environment for business promotion and establishing a Jeju UAM ecosystem, including licensing and administrative support.

The consortium announced that it plans to verify safety through the government demonstration project K-UAM Grand Challenge Phases 1 and 2 ('23~'24, Goheung, Jeonnam and the Seoul metropolitan area), and at the same time build ground infrastructure such as vertiports (vertical take-off and landing pads) to launch a UAM pilot project in Jeju Island in 2025, and to develop it into a foundation for complex urban UAM operations by incorporating future technologies.

SKT added that the UAM pilot project in Jeju Island is expected to be the fastest to be implemented in the country.

SK Telecom CEO Yoo Young-sang stated, “We will develop Jeju Island, an eco-friendly tourist destination, into a foundation for UAM innovation and leap forward as a game changer in future mobility services,” adding, “We plan to establish mid-to-long-term goals and produce tangible results through organic collaboration with the K-UAM Dream Team Consortium.”

Yoon Hyung-joong, President of Korea Airports Corporation, said, “The Jeju Island pilot project was last 4“Based on the know-how and technology of Korea Airports Corporation, which has been responsible for our country’s aviation safety for over 10 years, this hyper-cooperative business model combines the future technology and capital of Hanwha Systems and SK Telecom with the support of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, and will serve as an opportunity for Korea to leap forward as a global leader in the UAM industry,” he said, adding, “We will continue to take on endless challenges through cooperation with the private sector.”

Eo Seong-cheol, CEO of Hanwha Systems, stated, “Hanwha Systems provides total solutions for the development, operation, and infrastructure of Advanced Air Vehicles (AAVs). We aim to verify safety leading up to the commercialization of UAM and proactively establish operational and technical standards tailored to domestic conditions.” He added, “We will do our utmost to ensure that the K-UAM Dream Team Consortium lowers the psychological barriers to new modes of transportation in Jeju, a region rich in tourism and cultural resources, and leads the future mobility paradigm.”