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South Korea to start testing self-driving cars on roads in Feb 2016

The country is keen to reduce red tape for driverless cars in a bid to stay ahead of its global counterparts

The South Korean government today announced that it will be testing self-driving cars out on the road, starting February 2016, according to the Korea Herald.

This is part of the government’s plan to “develop and commercialise new growth engines that include unmanned aerial vehicles”, says the report.

The trial will take place on a 41-kilometre area on the Seoul-Busan and Incheon-Gangneung expressways. The government has also dedicated 320 kilometres of its national highways for upcoming tests. Additionally, there will be a designated air space for 15 key partners to test out new drones.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said in a statement that the government is “realigning its regulations to meet changing needs of the market”, which will get rid of redundant regulations and encourage innovation within the private sector.

Around the world, various governments of developed countries such as Japan and Singapore are in the midst of testing and coming up with regulations for unmanned vehicles. Thus, South Korea is working extremely hard to get ahead of its peers. According to an article published by the Yonhap News Agency, presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said that the government will be “developing sensors and other autonomous technologies while cutting red tape for driverless cars”.

President Park Guen-hye of South Korea also said that the country should “step up efforts for the development of the unmanned vehicle industry”, given its status as one of the most technologically advanced countries, and the world’s “fifth largest automobile producer”.

South Korea is the home country of Hyundai Motor Group, which is the world’s fourth largest producer of motor vehicles, according to a 2012 survey.