South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT; the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport; and the National Intelligence Service have come together to establish dedicated anti-drone training facilities. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Mar. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – In an effort to boost national defense capabilities against the escalating threat of drone-related incidents, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT; the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport; and the National Intelligence Service have come together to establish dedicated anti-drone training facilities.
This initiative was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on March 12 at the Uiseong Drone Flight Test Center in North Gyeongsang Province.
The agreement designates two sites, including the aforementioned center in Uiseong and the Drone Development Test Center in Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province, as National Anti-Drone Training Grounds.
These facilities are set to play a pivotal role in safely testing and validating the performance of equipment designed to neutralize illegal drones, which may be used for terrorism, crime, or invasions of privacy.
The move comes at a time when the potential for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) threats, including those from North Korea, and the extensive use of drones in conflicts such as the Ukraine war, are being recognized as significant security concerns both domestically and internationally.
The newly signed MOU aims to provide a structured environment where counter-drone measures can be developed and practiced by domestic anti-terrorism agencies and private sector technology firms.
Current regulations under the Radio Waves Act allow for the exceptional use of signal jamming devices against illicit drones in scenarios deemed necessary for public safety, such as military or anti-terrorist operations.
However, the use of such devices for training or testing purposes has not been explicitly addressed, leading to potential legal and operational ambiguities.
In response, the Ministry of Science and ICT introduced measures in October of last year to enable the use of jamming devices for training and testing in designated safe areas, as part of a broader push for proactive governance.
Ryu Je-myung, head of the network policy department at the Ministry of Science and ICT, hailed the MOU as a prime example of rapid and collaborative government action to address practical challenges on the ground.
Kim Young-guk, the Director of Aviation Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, praised the establishment of the anti-drone training facilities as laying the groundwork not only for improving national anti-terrorism efforts but also for advancing the domestic industry’s development of counter-drone technologies.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
