14th Land, Infrastructure and Transport Technology Expo... Held Until the 17th
"Finding the Optimal Scenario with UAM Simulator"
"Autonomous Driving Service Demonstration to Start from 2026"
"Although I am a soldier, I took a 2-day leave to come to Seoul to see the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Technology Expo. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is gaining attention as a future transportation means, and I came to the event because I want to enter the UAM field in the future."
On the 16th, visitors gathered at the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Technology Expo held at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul. [Photo by Seungwook Park]
Air Force serviceman Kim met with a reporter on the 16th at COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Technology Expo was held. The exhibition, now in its 14th year, attracted a diverse crowd including soldiers like Kim, students in school uniforms, and corporate officials. The exhibition, hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for three days until the 17th, gathered 220 organizations. They set up eight themed halls such as the Mobility Hall and Future Aviation Hall, opening over 300 booths featuring Urban Air Mobility (UAM), autonomous vehicles, and more.
At each booth, visitors could see research achievements across all fields of land, infrastructure, and transport, including the 12 strategic technologies and advanced research results announced in the 2nd Comprehensive Plan for Land, Infrastructure and Transport Science and Technology R&D (2023?2032). At the opening ceremony, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo said, "The development of science and technology in the land, infrastructure, and transport sectors is more important than ever to prepare for potential crises and disasters such as climate change and to promote public welfare."
At the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Technology Expo exhibition hall, a virtual integrated operation and verification simulator for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is set up. [Photo by Seungwook Park]
The area crowded with visitors was the UAM Virtual Integrated Operation and Verification Simulator exhibition hall. This device is being researched by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Korea Airports Corporation, Hanwha Systems, and others, aiming for development completion by the end of next year. The goal is to link different systems such as takeoff and landing and air route management to create UAM safety scenarios and set future operation directions.
An official from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said, "UAM is a future technology not yet commercialized, but it is difficult to realize. There may also be safety issues, so we are building a simulation environment as an R&D project of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport." He added, "Through the simulator, we can create virtual environments such as takeoff and landing and analyze how data flows. This will allow us to determine the safest operational scenarios."
Visitors are viewing autonomous driving-related technologies at the Autonomous Driving Technology Development Innovation Project Group booth. [Photo by Seungwook Park]
Attention was also drawn to autonomous driving-based services. From 2026, for two years, demonstration projects will begin for autonomous vehicles for transportation-vulnerable groups, the general public, and shared autonomous vehicles. These services will be at Level 4, where vehicles recognize and judge driving situations independently.
An official from the Autonomous Driving Technology Development Innovation Project Group cited accident liability as a challenge to be solved for the future development of autonomous driving services. He said, "Up to Level 3 autonomous driving, there was a perception that the occupant should be responsible, but from Level 4, it becomes ambiguous. When autonomous vehicles become commercialized, it will be necessary to clarify liability issues like this."
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