11 Government Regulatory Special Cases Approved Including 'AI Evacuation Guidance' Through Gyeonggi-do Consulting

Gyeonggi Province has opened up the possibility of commercialization by obtaining regulatory exemptions for 11 projects, including AI evacuation guidance lights and pet-friendly restaurants, through regulatory sandbox consulting.

On the 21st, Gyeonggi Province announced that, in collaboration with the Gyeonggi-do Economic Science Promotion Agency, 10 companies recently received approval for 11 regulatory exemptions through regulatory exemption review committees of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (6 cases), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (4 cases), and the Ministry of Science and ICT (1 case).

The regulatory sandbox is a system that grants exemptions or deferrals of regulations under certain conditions for new products and services utilizing new technologies, allowing market launch, testing, and verification. Companies must apply separately and obtain approval from central government ministries through each ministry’s regulatory exemption review committee.

Gyeonggi Province, together with the Promotion Agency, supported applications from SMEs and others through consulting and facilitated fast-track procedures for identical or similar projects to achieve rapid approval. Among the 11 regulatory exemptions approved this time, 10 projects were consulted on this year, resulting in swift regulatory relief within the year.

Specifically, the areas of regulatory relief include ▲a demonstration project for safe evacuation using AI-applied variable smart evacuation guidance lights ▲battery replacement sharing service for commercial electric vehicles (taxis, logistics) ▲urban self-storage, among others.

Variable guide lights recognized for regulatory exemptions through regulatory sandbox consulting by Gyeonggi Province, provided by Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Additionally, exemptions were approved for pet-friendly restaurants and cafes (5 cases), customized hospital companion services for transportation-vulnerable groups (2 cases), and private vehicle rental services for cargo trucks in case of delivery vehicle accidents or breakdowns (1 case).

Since 2019, Gyeonggi Province has supported regulatory sandbox application consulting for 177 companies with a total of 205 cases.

Gyeonggi Province provides up to 100 million KRW in demonstration project funding to companies approved for regulatory exemptions after review. Over six years until 2024, a total of 4.2 billion KRW has been provided to 50 companies for demonstration projects.

Kim Pyeongwon, Director of Regulatory Reform at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Gyeonggi Province is making efforts to resolve various regulations in the corporate and public welfare sectors," adding, "We will continue to support SMEs’ entry into new industries through the regulatory sandbox project."