Korea to put on 4 drone shows overseas

A drone show takes place near the Han River in Seoul, April 29. Yonhap

By Lee Kyung-min

Korea will host four drone shows overseas this year, to promote the excellent products and services of strong local players, the land ministry said Sunday.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology said they will increase this year's overseas drone technology demonstration shows to four, up from one.

Korea will host the shows in Colombia in July, Saudi Arabia in August and the Czech Republic in October. It held its first overseas drone show in Uzbekistan in June.

Participants of this year's overseas shows were selected in a public draw.

The 13 firms are specialized in collecting spatial data, processing spatial information, smart farms, monitoring and reconnaissance, defense, agriculture, construction and measurement, air traffic and safety, drone software and drone soccer.

The ministry said that the June drone show in Uzbekistan drew about $4 million (5 billion won) in buyer consultations.

Included were memorandums of understanding (MOUs) signed between Uzbekistan Deputy Agriculture Minister Anvar Asamov and two local drone firms specializing in spatial information and smart farming.

Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has established cooperative networking with the Civil Aviation Agency under the Uzbekistan Ministry of Transport.

In August, Saudi Arabia will host a drone show at the invitation of the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS), under the Arab Council of Interior Ministers.

A number of Middle Eastern countries will participate in the event where Korea's drone technologies will be showcased in the fields of defense, security and surveillance, as well as geographic information systems (GIS), a type of computer system that analyzes and displays geographically referenced information.

The ministry will promote drone infrastructure facilities in charge of flight tests, certification, technology development, as well as an expert training and education system, drone registration, flight control systems and safety management systems in Korea.

“An increasing number of countries are showing interest in Korea's drone technologies and drone-mediated urban mobility services,” the ministry said. “We will continue efforts to accelerate exports and overseas expansion of strong local players.”