Drone Aerial Photography Permit Period Extended from 1 Month to '6 Months'

Medium-sized Ombudsman Promotes Drone Regulation Improvement "Step-by-step Regulations That Do Not Harm Safety and Security"

A drone delivering a product.
Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] The permit period for drone aerial photography by private operators will be extended from one month to a maximum of six months, and drones will also be allowed to be used as a means of transportation for daily logistics services such as delivery.

The Small and Medium Business Ombudsman announced on the 17th that, after consultations with the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, it will partially improve regulations related to drones, a representative of future new industries.

Drones are being utilized in various fields ranging from hobbies to logistics, agriculture, safety, transportation, and performances, and the related industry is also rapidly growing. However, in Korea, various regulations exist due to military security issues, making it difficult for the drone industry to grow.

As a result, over the past four years, more than 90 drone-related regulatory complaints and difficulties have been received by the Small and Medium Business Ombudsman. The majority of these requests are for ▲expansion of flight approval zones ▲simplification of flight approval procedures ▲increase in maximum takeoff weight to enable easier and more convenient drone flights.

Company A, which is developing an integrated control platform for drone operations, requires numerous test flights for service development. However, Company A complained that there are not many drone special free zones in Korea where drone flights are freely allowed, and the flight and filming permit periods are short, causing difficulties in product development.

Company B, a drone solution and service specialist company, wanted to utilize drones in the logistics delivery sector, but under current laws, there is no legal basis for delivery services. Therefore, Company B requested the establishment of a legal basis to allow logistics delivery by drones.

In response, the Small and Medium Business Ombudsman has continuously proposed and consulted with the relevant ministries, including the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and decided to improve some regulations that are not directly related to safety and military security issues.

A recent representative achievement is the extension of the aerial photography permit period for private operators. When public institutions use drones for aerial photography, the permit period is up to one year, but for private aerial photography, the permit period was only up to one month. Because of this, private operators who want to frequently fly drones for aerial photography for product research and development had to obtain a new permit every month.

The Small and Medium Business Ombudsman proposed to the Ministry of National Defense in June to extend the permit period for drone aerial photography by private operators, and received a response from the Ministry of National Defense that the permit period for private operators would be extended to a maximum of six months.

Additionally, in April, the Small and Medium Business Ombudsman requested the establishment of clear legal grounds to allow drones to be used in transportation businesses, and in June, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport responded with a new industry regulatory improvement plan to amend related laws to allow drones to be used as a means of transportation for daily logistics services such as delivery.

Park Ju-bong, Small and Medium Business Ombudsman, said, "We plan to continue consultations to improve drone-related regulations one by one, starting with areas that pose little risk to public safety and security," adding, "We will strive to improve related regulations so that the drone industry, which can become a future growth industry for Korea, and the venture startups entering this industry can overcome their difficulties."