Gov't to begin drone taxi demonstration in Seoul in 2025

[Anchor]

Flying taxis, or drone taxis, are gradually becoming a reality.

Starting next year, demonstration operations are expected to begin in downtown Seoul.

To be commercialized, ensuring safety will be crucial.

Reporter Kim Min-hyuk has the details.

[Report]

A flying vehicle takes off vertically from the rooftop of a building.

It crosses downtown Seoul at altitudes of 300 meters or 600 meters....

Following the Han River, it passes major hubs like Yeouido and Yongsan, and carefully lands in the area around Jamsil Stadium.

This is the envisioned future of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), commonly referred to as 'drone taxis.'

After completing the first phase of demonstration operations in Goheung, Jeollanam-do this year, the second phase of demonstration operations will begin in downtown Seoul in the first half of next year.

The round-trip routes will be from Goyang KINTEX to Yeouido Park, and from Jamsil to Suseo Station.

Plans are in place to verify safety, including avoiding collision and adjusting routes during flight

[Oh Se-hoon/Seoul Mayor: "(In Seoul) ground and underground traffic is already saturated. How great would it be to fly through the open sky...."]

From 2026 to 2030, the initial commercialization phase will take place, with operations conducted in designated flight zones along the Han River centered around Yeouido.

The key issue is how to ensure safety in densely populated areas like Seoul.

[Jeong Gi-hoon/Director of K-UAM Grand Challenge at Korea Aerospace Research Institute: "Above all, the safety of urban air mobility is crucial to prevent accidents. The conditions will be different from those tested in non-urban areas like Goheung due to the characteristics of radio waves and urban environments."]

The Seoul city government anticipates that once the UAM system is completed, the travel time from Pangyo to Gwanghwamun, which currently takes one hour by car, could be reduced to just 15 minutes.

This is KBS News, Kim Min-hyuk.