Minister of Land Meets Autonomous Driving Industry: "Korea's Future Industry... Will Provide Swift Support"

Test Drive of Autonomous Vehicles and Industry Roundtable Held in Sangam-dong, Seoul

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Yoonduk Kim met with the autonomous driving industry on the 28th to exchange views. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is the main government body responsible for establishing regulations related to autonomous driving as well as considering support measures to promote the industry.

On this day, Minister Kim visited the Seoul Future Mobility Center in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, where he toured the autonomous driving control system and received a briefing on the current status. Afterwards, he took a test ride in an unmanned vehicle operated by RideFlux, an early-stage autonomous driving company, which is conducting a pilot operation in the area. This district is one of Seoul's autonomous driving testbeds, where paid transportation and pilot operations are carried out.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Yoonduk Kim is receiving an explanation about an autonomous vehicle undergoing a pilot operation near the Seoul Future Mobility Center building in Sangam-dong, Seoul, on the 28th. Photo by Chae-yul Choi

On this day, Minister Kim rode in a Genesis GV80-based sport utility vehicle (SUV) equipped with radar, cameras, LiDAR, and other perception devices, as well as various data collection systems. RideFlux is conducting pilot operations of Level 4 autonomous driving in this area, which allows the vehicle to operate without a driver; however, on this occasion, a safety operator was present in the driver's seat. The vehicle can also be remotely controlled from the control center.

After the test ride, a roundtable discussion was held, bringing together representatives from the industry and academia to discuss challenges in business operations and the need for regulatory improvements. Participants included Han Ji-hyung, CEO of Autonomous A2Z, who expanded his business from developing autonomous driving software to manufacturing actual vehicles, Cho Sung-hwan, president of the Korea Autonomous Driving Industry Association and former CEO of Hyundai Mobis, and Ha Sung-yong, president of the Korea Automobile Mobility Safety Association, among others.

Minister Kim said, "After riding in the autonomous vehicle today, I was quite impressed-it felt like being with a diligent novice driver. Although we are falling behind the United States and China, I will make every effort to provide active and rapid support, as autonomous driving is a key industry that will shape the future of our country."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.