“Propeller 6, motor, transmission, boom are all good.”
On the 10th of this month, at the Incheon Unmanned Aircraft Training Center located in the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Namdong-gu, Incheon, 59-year-old Lee Deok-soon shouted the pre-flight inspection call. Wearing an orange safety helmet, Lee maintained a safety distance of 15 meters while operating a 26 kg drone for about 20 minutes. Lee is preparing for the drone class 1 certification.
He noted, “I initially obtained class 3 just as a hobby, but after working as an urban agriculture manager, I realized that drones would help during pest control tasks, so I signed up for the class 1 exam.” People like Lee who are obtaining drone certifications have been increasing every year. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of drone certification holders, which was 45,847 at the end of 2020, surged to 624,735 by the end of last year, an increase of more than 13.6 times in four years.
Drones are classified according to their type as unmanned airplanes, unmanned helicopters, unmanned multirotors, and unmanned airships. As the number of people using drones increased, the government mandated from March 1, 2021, that a certification be obtained for non-commercial use, and it was subdivided into four categories based on weight: ▲ over 25 kg to 150 kg (class 1) ▲ over 7 kg to 25 kg (class 2) ▲ over 2 kg to 7 kg (class 3) ▲ over 250 g to 2 kg (class 4). Class 4 can be obtained simply by completing online training from the Korea Transport Institute. For classes 3 and above, passing a written exam is required, along with 3 to 20 hours of flight experience. Classes 1 and 2 require practical tests that include flight and oral examinations.
Meeting at the drone qualification center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, 67-year-old Kim said he came from Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, to take the practical exam. Kim, who runs a private drone academy in Yeongwol, stated, “Previously it was enough to just register if you were using a drone for pest control, but now there are increasing barriers to entry, such as requiring pest control experience, and I can feel the growth of the industry.” As of 2023, the number of companies using drones for agricultural or pest control purposes has reached 1,040.
◇ Transporting samples over the sea and inspecting bridges, as well as searching for missing persons
The utilization of drones is widening. Oil refineries are using drones for transporting fuel samples. A GS Caltex representative noted, “After a ship docks at the marine terminal, inspections must be conducted before fuel products can be unloaded, and sending fuel samples by drone rather than using small boats is saving a lot of time and expense.”
Lee Dong-ki, 47, who runs a specialized real estate business for factories, warehouses, and land in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, said, “Even with wide-angle lenses, there were limitations in capturing the entire view, but using drones allows me to capture factory views from about 7 meters high. It can show areas that are hard to view, like surrounding alleys or rooftops, so it’s being used a lot in real estate these days.” The number of drones registered with the government has increased more than threefold from 16,159 in 2020 to 52,387 in 2023, with 56.9% (29,800 units) being commercial drones.
The Korea Expressway Corporation utilizes drones to inspect blind spots and slopes that are difficult for people to access and to patrol highways. A representative from the Korea Expressway Corporation stated, “We are using drones for monitoring the progress and safety management of construction facilities. The number of employees holding drone certifications in the company has also increased from 218 in 2022 to 491 last year.” Korea Electric Power Corporation is also using drones to inspect power facilities in areas where access by vehicles or personnel is difficult, holding 79 drones and employing 312 people with drone certifications.
The military, police, and fire agencies are also using drones. The Army recruits specialized personnel for drone operation and maintenance, with 142 applicants for a quota of 13 last year. The police and fire agencies use drones for searching missing persons in hard-to-reach areas and for monitoring fire scenes. The Korea Forest Service and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also use drones for pine wilt nematode control and for producing cadastral maps.
◇ Hobby use is sufficient with classes 3 to 4… Concerns over Chinese products
There is also an increasing number of people using drones as a hobby. A 20-something man living in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, stated, “I initially used a 470,000 won drone for the fun of capturing scenes that looked like they were from the sky, but as my interest grew, I bought a 1,230,000 won drone with automatic return and a function to follow people and cars,” adding, “It’s really a new world.” As of the end of last year, the total number of holders of class 4 certifications, which allow for operating drones under 2 kg, was 469,637, with 85,588 obtaining it in just the last year.
Although the utilization of drones is increasing, the high dependence on China is considered a problem. Out of the 5,829 drones used in the public sector, 62.6% (3,650 units) are foreign-made. Lee Jae-yong, a professor at Hanseo University in the Unmanned Aircraft Department (drone application major), noted, “China, with global companies like DJI, already controls 60-70% of the world drone market. The reality is that domestic products are also assembled using Chinese components.”
A government official who came from the drone industry to a local government said, “The performance of DJI is so outstanding that even if you pay double the price, you can’t compete with it. There are no domestic products that can serve as alternatives, which makes it inevitable to use them in public institutions.”
Some countries, including the United States and Japan, are restricting the use of Chinese drones for security reasons. If drones are hacked, location, voice, and visual information could be leaked. South Korea is also working to reduce its reliance on Chinese products. A Ministry of National Defense official stated, “Years ago, security issues were found with Chinese drones, and they are currently banned from use.” The Korea Expressway Corporation also remarked, “In accordance with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport guidelines, we are only using domestic drones.” The fire agency stated, “While we cannot mandate the use of domestic products across all regions, we are working hard to lower the high ratio of Chinese drones.”
Professor Lee Jae-yong said, “We need a control tower to concentrate on developing scarce resources,” and added, “While white papers addressing the current situation are important, a green paper proposing a direction for the industry is urgently needed.” According to the National Assembly Budget Office, the global drone market is expected to grow to about 79 trillion won by 2030. South Korea's drone industry revenue was 1.1 trillion won as of 2023.