Launching drones for safety

Korea Airports Corporation uses drones to check its regional airports' navigational system. / Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

Drones have been used as one of the core aircraft technologies in military surveillance and reconnaissance.

They have been launched behind enemy lines to counter potential threats and maintain security. Drones can do what humans cannot do. They can minimize and prevent damage.

This “art of war” concept is nowadays being widely used by non-military sectors to keep people safe and secure. Drones are increasingly being used for recreation and sports.

Amazon is seeking to use drones that can deliver products purchased by e-commerce consumers. Facebook has launched a drone to help people in developing countries gain access to the internet. The 2018 PyeongChang Olympics showed the potential for using drones as an art.

In Korea, authorities launched drones over a recent forest fire in Goseong, Gangwon Province, to monitor and keep track of the fire earlier last week. Thanks in part to the technology, they were able to bring the situation under control in 11 hours.

The government said they could minimize the damage in the near future by using 120 drones, along with 154 helicopters in the region to prevent a big fire during the spring season.

The state-run Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) has launched a new drone to help assist commercial airplanes make safe landings at regional airports.

KAC's drones constantly check with its on-field navigational system to further guide planes for an accurate landing.

They can also help commercial airliners not to be interfered with by other electronic signals from communication devices such as mobile phones or radios, it noted.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said it will create jobs by making 2,800 drones commercially and professionally active in the market.

They will be used by 215 fire, 254 police and 230 Coastguard stations by 2020, according to the ministry.

Drones can be very useful in disaster areas as they can send real-time information to firefighters and coast guards during emergencies as was the case with the Goseong forest fire.

The ministry said it will invest 49 billion won in its drone project. The government is developing the “K-drone” platform to manage unmanned aircraft in the sky, by 2021.

It seeks to increase the size of the market to 1.4 trillion won by 2022, and to 4.4 trillion won by 2026, currently from 70.4 billion won.

This is a part of the government's five-year plan to become one of the world's top five drone markets.

“The public awareness and perception of drones has rapidly increased here,” said Monica Suk, a spokeswoman for DJI Korea.

“Domestic regulations are responding well to the latest developments.”

She expects more companies will be using drones for services. DJI is a drone maker headquartered in Shenzhen in China.

“The market has become saturated in the leisure sector, and other countries are studying how to further use them in new sectors,” said Kim Min-seok, the chief executive of AIS, a drone startup.