The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 5th that it held the 26th deliberation committee on regulatory sandbox special zones and regulatory exemptions, and discussed the designation of new wide-area linked regulatory sandbox special zones and plans to overhaul the regulatory sandbox system.
A wide-area linked regulatory sandbox special zone is a system in which two or more local governments work together to pilot-test interrelated regulations. It was introduced for the first time this year to expand the scope of existing regulatory sandbox special zones, which had been run around individual regions and single technologies.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), after consultations with relevant ministries and expert reviews, selected two tasks—"smart agriculture" and "new marine leisure"—as candidates for designation as wide-area linked special zones and placed them on the deliberation committee's agenda.
The smart agriculture wide-area linked special zone will be centered on South Jeolla and Gwangju, with North Jeolla and South Chungcheong participating. It will pilot-test charging technology for electric farm machinery using solar direct current power and develop autonomous-operation farm machinery. After testing specialized technologies in each region separately, South Jeolla and Gwangju will conduct integrated demonstrations by linking the technologies.
The new marine leisure wide-area linked special zone will be jointly pursued by North Gyeongsang and Busan. It will test autonomous ship operations, maritime monitoring, and unmanned rescue technologies in different marine environments such as beaches and ports. North Gyeongsang will verify autonomous navigation technologies, while Busan will verify unmanned safety systems. Afterward, they will conduct integrated demonstrations by linking each region's technologies and establish safety standards that can be applied nationwide.
The deliberation committee also discussed plans to reform the regulatory sandbox special zone system so that regulatory testing leads to regulatory improvements and the growth of participating corporations.
The innovation plan includes fostering regional industries using wide-area linked special zones and strengthening communication systems among regulatory ministries. The plan is to expand cooperation with relevant ministries so that step-by-step demonstration results from designation to operation and conclusion lead to consolidation of laws and regulations.
To reduce the burden on corporations applying for regulatory testing, the government will streamline the regulatory exemption system and, by linking it with major regional and startup policies such as "5 poles, 3 specials" and "startup cities," strengthen the fostering of special-zone corporations in each region's flagship industrial sectors.
No Yong-seok, first vice minister at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), said, "So far, regulatory sandbox special zones have rationalized regulations that blocked new industries in the regions and added vitality to local economies," and added, "We will faithfully push ahead with this innovation plan for regulatory sandbox special zones and the wide-area linked special zones to broaden the scope of interregional cooperation and back innovative corporations so they can overcome regulatory barriers and grow."