Ulsan Ulju County Designated as 3rd Drone Special Free Zone, Selected for Third Consecutive Time

Leap Forward as an Advanced Drone City by 2027
at the Center of Drone Demonstration Projects

Ulsan Ulju County has been designated as part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's "3rd Drone Special Free Zone," marking its third consecutive selection as a drone special zone and further elevating its status as a standard city for drones.

On July 30, Ulju County announced that, following the designation by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on July 29, it will conduct drone demonstration projects for two years until 2027. The Drone Special Free Zone is a system that significantly relaxes and exempts various regulations to promote the demonstration and commercialization of the drone industry, serving as a stepping stone for attracting national public projects.

In this third round, a total of 67 zones across 32 local governments nationwide, including Ulju County, have been designated. In Ulju County, more than half of the county's total area?407 square kilometers (Zone 1: 172 square kilometers, Zone 2: 235 square kilometers)?is included.

The Ulsan Information Industry Promotion Agency will participate as the lead organization, together with seven business entities, to implement 14 demonstration projects in four sectors: △Aerospace Defense (ultra-connected control, K-drone delivery, integrated defense, drone detection), △Safe City (AI wildfire monitoring, AI safety monitoring, illegal sea harvesting monitoring), △Ecosystem Development (drone pilot qualification training, drone experience education), and △Drone Services (mountain rescue, urban management, crime prevention, crop diagnosis, radiation measurement).

Lee Soongul, the governor of Ulju County, stated, "Being designated as a drone special zone for the third consecutive time is a recognition of Ulju County's ongoing efforts for the development of the drone industry. We will grow into a standard drone city leading the future of Korea, based on scientific administration and advanced industries utilizing drones."

With consecutive designations as a drone special zone, Ulju County has actively supported the demonstration of drone service models for logistics delivery, tourism, safety, and administration within urban areas, producing tangible results that residents can feel. In this process, other local governments and public institutions have been benchmarking Ulju County, and the county is recording the highest levels nationwide in terms of budget scale, demonstration content, and commercialization outcomes.