"Complex Urban Environment Is Advantageous"... Autonomous Driving Demonstration City to Be Gwangju

Ministry Secures 62.2 Billion Won in Next Year's Budget
Funds Allocated for Vehicles and AI Learning Center
About 100 Vehicles to Be Operated
Designation as National Pilot City Also Under Consideration

Gwangju Metropolitan City has effectively been selected as the autonomous driving demonstration city promoted by the government. There are also plans to develop it as a national pilot city to test a variety of mobility services utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Attention is focused on whether Gwangju will emerge as a leading autonomous driving city in Korea, similar to San Francisco in the United States or Wuhan in China.

According to The Asia Business Daily's coverage on December 5, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently secured a budget of 62.2 billion won for the new project category of "autonomous driving industry development" in next year's finalized budget. This budget will be used to support vehicles needed to operate the autonomous driving demonstration city, including unmanned vehicles, and to construct an AI learning center for demonstration data.

The autonomous driving budget was included after review by the National Assembly's standing committee and the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. During the review process, there were suggestions to allocate over 800 billion won, but the final amount was settled at 62.2 billion won. This represents an increase of about 292 billion won from the Ministry's original total budget plan for next year, with a significant portion allocated to autonomous driving-related projects.

Autonomous shuttle undergoing test operation around Cheonggyecheon in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

During the National Assembly review, the plan to designate Gwangju as the demonstration city was also finalized. Initially, the standing committee proposed designating five small- to medium-sized cities and operating about 1,000 autonomous vehicles (see page 16 of the November 20 edition), and passed this plan to the budget committee. However, it was changed during the final coordination process. With the finalized budget, it is expected that about 100 vehicles can be operated. A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official explained, "There was an opinion that, rather than running several hundred kilometers on quiet suburban or rural roads, it would be better to learn various edge cases in a complex urban environment, even if the routes are shorter. The industry also expressed similar views, which led to the decision for Gwangju."

The autonomous driving demonstration city project was launched to expand the scope of autonomous vehicle research from limited pilot zones to the entire city. To accumulate driving data, as in technologically advanced countries like the United States and China, Korea also needs to collect a diverse range of real-road environment information. At the regulatory rationalization meeting in September this year, President Lee Jaemyung proposed, "Let us designate an entire mid-sized local city as an autonomous driving regulatory sandbox."

The plan to develop Gwangju as a future mobility city was also a presidential campaign pledge of the Democratic Party. Separately from the designation as an autonomous driving demonstration city, the government is reportedly considering designating Gwangju as the "AI Mobility National Pilot City." The idea is to use Gwangju as a stage to implement services utilizing autonomous driving technology, such as robotaxis and unmanned delivery, and to test related infrastructure. While developing the technology necessary for autonomous driving is important, it is also essential to revise related laws and systems to fit the new framework for practical use in everyday life. The government intends to identify these issues directly through the pilot city project.