Minister Joo Hyung-hwan Visits Daegu Proving Ground and Holds Meeting with Autonomous Vehicle Industry
Suggestions include fostering the industry and parts suppliers, creating a demonstration environment, and expanding testbeds.

We must foster parts suppliers, strengthen technology development, create demonstration environments, and expand testbeds. Furthermore, we must support comprehensive cooperation among industries.

Business leaders and experts spoke with one voice for the development of the autonomous vehicle industry.

This is what officials emphasized to Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Joo Hyung-hwan at a meeting of the autonomous vehicle industry held at the Intelligent Automotive Parts Promotion Agency on the 29th.


▲ A scene from the autonomous vehicle contest held at the Daegu Intelligent Automotive Parts Testing Center last year (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy)

Business leaders and experts from companies involved in autonomous vehicles, including automakers, parts suppliers, IT firms, and research institutes, attended the event to discuss industry challenges and suggestions, and to deliberate on development plans to foster autonomous vehicles as a core new industry.

Daegu City was designated as an 'autonomous vehicle regulation-free zone' last December. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy established a test track in 2014 through the 'Intelligent Vehicle Research Infrastructure and Technology Development Project'.

Minister Joo Hyung-hwan stated that companies such as Tesla, Google, and Apple are recently playing the role of "game changers" that are reshaping the landscape of the automotive industry, and requested that Korean companies actively respond to the paradigm shift in which automobiles are evolving beyond mere means of transportation into smart devices that provide safety and convenience.

In addition, the government presented a policy direction stating that it will provide full support for the autonomous vehicle industry, a representative new industry of the future, through active regulatory improvements, concentrated support, and the creation of a convergence ecosystem.

Will domestic laws be amended to allow the replacement of side mirrors?

In response to this, Minister Ju stated that he would support the development of eight key components and systems through the 'Autonomous Vehicle Core Technology Development Project,' which involves large-scale investment starting in 2017 as part of the Industrial Engine and Economic Innovation Three-Year Plan, and said that he would expand testbeds for technology development by establishing autonomous driving demonstration zones within regulation-free zones and building advanced driver assistance platforms.

In addition, it announced plans to derive collaborative business models between industries centered on the 'Automotive Convergence Alliance' launched last December, and to support planned convergence-type research and development (R&D) projects starting in the second half of this year (worth 7 billion won).

In addition, it was decided to resolve regulations that hinder the commercialization of new technology products through close cooperation with relevant ministries, and to explore providing various incentives, such as insurance premium discounts, for the installation of safety devices incorporating new technologies.

For example, replacing exterior rearview mirrors (side mirrors) with a camera + monitor system in accordance with revisions to international standardsWe are pushing for amendments to domestic laws to enable this.

Meanwhile, prior to the meeting, Minister Ju test-drove a hydrogen fuel cell electric autonomous vehicle (hydrogen electric autonomous vehicle), currently under development for a demonstration at the PyeongChang Olympics, at the Intelligent Vehicle Proving Ground to assess the current level of technology.

The hydrogen electric autonomous vehicle is equipped with advanced features such as highway driving assistance, traffic congestion driving assistance, lane changing, and highway entry/exit.