OPPAV, South Korea’s first UAM vehicle (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
GOYANG, Jul. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – The city of Goyang, a suburb of Seoul located in Gyeonggi Province, is emerging as a frontrunner in the development of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) infrastructure, potentially ushering in a new era of “30-minute travel times” across the Seoul metropolitan area.
According to a recent report by the Goyang Policy Research Institute, Goyang is the only municipality in the Seoul metropolitan area included in the second phase of the K-UAM Grand Challenge demonstration project.
This initiative, led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, aims to verify aircraft safety and establish operational concepts and technical standards tailored to domestic conditions, with the goal of commercializing UAM by 2025.
The ministry has designated Goyang as one of three major UAM hubs in the capital region, alongside Seoul’s Jamsil area and Gimpo International Airport. A vertiport (takeoff and landing facility) is currently under construction on an 18,000 square meter site near KINTEX, Goyang’s convention center.
Once the vertiport is completed in June of next year, it is expected that passengers will be able to travel from KINTEX to Gimpo Airport in approximately 15 minutes using these “flying taxis.”
The ministry has designated Goyang as one of three major UAM hubs in the capital region. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
The research institute believes that Goyang will gain a comparative advantage in building a UAM industry ecosystem by being the first to acquire diverse operational know-how and data during the demonstration phase.
The institute recommends that the city should “quickly develop UAM service models tailored to local characteristics, establish an integrated transportation system linked with trains, buses, and taxis, and accelerate the training of specialized personnel.”
There are also projections that if the city establishes a UAM Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) complex in its planned free economic zone, it could significantly boost job creation and increase the city’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP).
However, the report cautions that measures should be taken to prevent citizen discomfort and safety risks, as there may be concerns about noise and privacy invasion along UAM routes.
Meanwhile, the city is researching plans to renovate the Ilsan Dong-gu Office rooftop into a “smart plus building” equipped with a vertiport for disaster response and emergency patient transport.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
