DJI’s Phantom series are especially popular in Korea, and the company accounted for 80 percent of the Korean drone market last year. (image: Kevin Baird/flickr)
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Flying of drones within 2km of airports in Korea will soon be technically impossible.
The Seoul Regional Aviation Administration said on May 18 that it has agreed with Chinese drone manufacturer DJI to start a program that automatically shuts down drones within 2km of airports. The program will be installed on all products that sell in Korea.
DJI’s Phantom series are especially popular in Korea, and the company accounted for 80 percent of the Korean drone market last year. Drones from the Phantom series are mostly used for hobbies and aerial photography among Koreans.
The administration added that the OS in already purchased drones can be upgraded to run the shutdown program.
All 15 airports in Korea, including Incheon International Airport, will be in the off-limits zone for drones. The administration is expecting that such measures will prevent any possible crashes between airplanes and drones, as well as stopping illegal photography of high-security zones.
By Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
