'K-CITY', a gathering place for self-driving cars that prepare for real-life situations through repeated testing
After opening in the second half of 2019, we plan to continue research until fully autonomous driving.

In line with the government's plan to achieve Level 3 autonomous driving technology by 2020, the country's largest driving test site, 'K-CITY', will open for the first time in October.

As of May of this year, there are a total of 19 autonomous vehicles that have been granted temporary operation permits nationwide. These autonomous vehicles are traveling across the country, but they are inaccessible to child protection zones and have limitations in testing on actual roads. Since numerous tests are required for safety, K-CITY in Hwaseong is a place where scenarios can be reenacted and tested repeatedly.

K-CITY benchmarked M-CITY, a 40,000-pyeong test bed in Michigan, USA. It will be operated by the Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute (KATRI) with a communications network (5G, WAVE) and a precision road map built on 110,000 pyeong. In the second half of 2019, when it is scheduled to open, it plans to build a traffic environment of downtown, community, highway, suburban road, and autonomous parking facility so that it can test vehicle responses to various situations.



We met with Dr. Yongwon Yoon, an engineer at the Autonomous Driving Research Center of the Autonomous Driving Vehicle Center, an official of K-CITY, and asked him about it.

Q. I heard that K-CITY is like building a virtual city.
A. When I went to the M-CITY opening ceremony in July last year, it looked like a drama set, with houses, buildings, and even a school zone. K-CITY ultimately wants to build a virtual city by 2019. When a self-driving car stops at the starting point, if the control center gives a signal, the area moves according to the scenario. Whether it's a person, a traffic light, or a surrounding car. This is where they test whether the sensors in the car are working properly and whether there are any malfunctions.

Q. If it's a test, what part do you focus on the most?
A. The relevant technologies that need to be tested are still under discussion, but we plan to approach them in stages. The most basic example is AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking), which stops when it sees a pedestrian. We are drawing up a roadmap centered around ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), which encompasses this. In addition, we expect to run the NCAP (new car assessment program) in parallel.

Q. You must be watching the autonomous driving test process from up close. What is the technology level like?
A. For now, autonomous driving starts when you say “I will start” on the road and take your hand off. In normal driving, there are preparatory actions such as changing gears or starting the engine, but autonomous vehicles are not as comfortable to drive because the driver cannot predict them. This is because the research is focused on safety. Precise control that does not cause discomfort to people is something that other organizations should introduce.

Q. The government has set a goal of achieving Level 3 autonomous driving technology by 2020. Some forecasting agencies even predict that fully autonomous driving will be achieved by 2030.
A. The prediction agency paints a rosy future. However, from an engineer's perspective, it is 'not yet'. If autonomous driving level 3 is commercialized in 2020, there will be errors accordingly. On the other hand, companies that are quick to move beyond level 3 will prepare for levels 4 and 5. K-CITY plans to develop and utilize the space to study and test scenarios accordingly.