KT to host the '1st' at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 2nd
KT Gigapipe athletes and approximately 100 drone racers from across the country are expected to participate.

KT announced that it will host the "1st Korea Drone Racing Ranking Tournament," sponsored by KT and organized by the Korea Drone Racing Association (KDRA), at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 2nd, marking the first time in Korea that such an event will be held.

'Drone racing' is a new concept leisure sport in which participants compete in speed races by controlling drones, allowing them to experience the sensation of high speed from a 'First Person View (FPV)' through cameras mounted on the drones.

The 'Korea Drone Racing Ranking Tournament' is scheduled to open for FPV (First person view) drone racers to register in advance from June 27 to July 1, and it is expected that a total of 100 to 150 athletes, including top-tier domestic players, will participate.

In particular, expectations are high for the participation of players from KT’s drone racing team GiGA5, including Kim Min-chan, who won the freestyle division of the World Drone Frix 2016 in March and the GiGA Drone Racing Championship in May; Son Young-rok, who advanced to the finals of the racing division of the World Drone Frix in March; and Song Geun-mok, the winner of the 1st GiGA Drone Racing Championship.

In the ranking competition, teams of four are formed on a first-come, first-served basis, and a total of three rounds are conducted with three flights per round. The team with the fastest one-lap time is recorded as the athlete's record. The 'Korea Drone Racing Ranking Competition' is open to the general public in addition to the participating athletes, allowing anyone to watch for free. If you wish to watch, you can freely visit KT Wiz Park from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., when the ranking match starts.

Starting with this competition, KT plans to regularly hold the 'Korea Drone Racing Ranking Tournament' to expand the base of drone sports and foster athletes by providing top-ranked athletes with special privileges, such as entry into international competitions. As a starting point, the company announced that it will support the top two finishers in this ranking tournament with entry into the 'D1 Asia Cup' held in Shenzhen, China in August, as well as accommodation expenses including airfare, and provide the top 14 finishers with entry into the World Drone Championship scheduled to be held in Korea in the second half of the year.

Meanwhile, KT Wiz Park is hosting its second drone competition following the 'GiGA LTE Drone Performance' last July, showcasing a new image of KT Wiz Park not only as a baseball stadium but also as a space where people can enjoy drone sports such as drone racing.

Lee Dong-soo, Executive Vice President and Head of the IMC Division at KT's Marketing Department, emphasized, "Following the 'Giga Drone Racing Grand Finals' held last month in collaboration with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, KT is once again taking the lead in diversifying and popularizing drone sports through this ranking competition. This will serve as an opportunity to solidify KT's image as Drone No. 1 in domestic and overseas markets."