Gwangju Driver's License Examination Center Budget Finalized at 45.2 Billion Won... Autonomous Vehicle Test Site to Be Built

AI Mobility Certification Center to Be Added
First-Tier Facility Maintained, Completion Set for 2027

The Gwangju Driver's License Examination Center, which will be established in Buk-gu, Gwangju, has overcome the threat of downsizing and will be developed as one of the most advanced examination centers in the country. Although there were concerns that the center might be downgraded to a second-tier facility due to budget shortages, the total project budget has been increased, allowing it to maintain first-tier functionality. At the same time, a new AI Mobility Certification Center will be built to enable testing and evaluation of autonomous vehicles.

Aerial view of the construction project for Gwangju Driver's License Examination Center. Provided by Gwangju City.

On December 10, Gwangju City announced that the total project budget for the Driver's License Examination Center has been finalized at 45.2 billion won, an increase of 8.2 billion won from the original 37 billion won. The additional 8.2 billion won includes 7.9 billion won for increased construction and supervision costs due to inflation, and 300 million won for the design of the AI Mobility Certification Center.

The examination center was initially planned as a first-tier facility, but there were concerns it might be reduced to a second-tier center due to rising construction costs. With this budget increase, it will be possible to build a first-tier examination center, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027 in Samgak-dong, Buk-gu, with a total floor area of 40,210 square meters. The entire project will be funded by the national government.

With the decision to increase the budget, an "AI Center" equipped with AI mobility testing, evaluation, and certification functions will be added to the examination center. In addition to introducing an IT-based driver’s license evaluation system and a virtual reality (VR) evaluation facility, an autonomous driving evaluation system utilizing the driving test course will also be established.

Gwangju City is also considering the development of various future mobility certification and testing infrastructure, including a VR-based autonomous driving evaluation facility, a 30,000-pyeong autonomous driving test ground (proving ground), an AI mobility specialist training center, and a future transportation safety facility testing and research center. Once these facilities are in place, the city explains that it will be possible to provide certification services for autonomous vehicles, outdoor mobile robots, and new technologies related to transportation and safety.

Seol Hyangja, Director of Transportation Operations at Gwangju City, said, "Once the examination center opens, it will resolve the inconvenience for citizens who had to travel to Naju for license tests and renewals," adding, "With the normalization of the project, we also expect it to benefit local businesses and the regional economy."

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