Drone Industry Promotion Policy 2.0... Fostering Leading Companies
1st Drone Industry Council... Focused Support for Outstanding Companies
On the 11th, a drone taxi is undergoing a pilot operation ahead of commercialization at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] On the 13th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held the 1st Drone Industry Council and announced that it deliberated and approved the 'Drone Industry Promotion Policy 2.0' to foster K-Drone brand companies leading the domestic drone industry.
The Drone Industry Council serves as the national drone policy control tower, chaired by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, with participation from vice ministers of related ministries including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as well as experts from industry, academia, and research sectors.
The domestic drone industry has rapidly grown in a short period, with the market size increasing more than 6.5 times in about four years, but there is still no 'national representative company' leading the domestic drone industry, and drone utilization performance remains low.
Accordingly, the Drone Industry Council announced the 'Drone Industry Promotion Policy 2.0,' which focuses on supporting excellent companies to nurture them as national representative companies and actively promoting the use of domestically produced drones in various public sectors.
First, excellent companies will be selected and publicly announced through drone company evaluations, followed by focused support, and only companies possessing core technologies will be allowed to participate in the public procurement market. Additionally, financial support such as the 'Land and Transport Innovation Fund' and overseas expansion support will provide growth momentum for excellent companies, and future technology research and development will lead the localization of core components.
Flight test sites will be newly established in Incheon and Hwaseong starting next year, and demonstration cities and drone special free zones will also be expanded. Through this, the government plans to nurture more than two national representative companies and over 20 promising companies with innovative technologies by 2025.
By improving procurement systems and providing purchasing consulting, the domestic ratio of public drones will be raised to 67% by 2022, and burdens at utilization sites will be reduced through insurance system improvements and easing of pilot liability and audit responsibilities.
Furthermore, the government plans to discover and nurture specialized drone maintenance and repair companies to create new industries utilizing drones, while also resolving frequent drone malfunctions and other difficulties faced at utilization sites.
Kim Hyunmi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and chairperson of the Drone Industry Council, emphasized, "If the domestic drone industry has achieved quantitative growth so far, now is the time for qualitative growth and tangible results such as nurturing national representative companies through the Drone Industry Promotion Policy 2.0."
She added, "The government will faithfully implement the Drone Industry Promotion Policy 2.0 through the Drone Industry Council and spare no support to enable K-Drone brand companies to enter the global market."
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