Seoul, KR is piloting AVs

In 2019, Seoul’s first self-driving testbed was launched at Digital Media City (DMC), a decade-old new town built on the site of a former landfill in Seoul’s Sangam district. Partners included South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile operator. The district, a technology hub, is home to over 800 information technology, media, and entertainment companies employing more than 60,000 people. The year-long test of a fleet of self-driving delivery vehicles began in October 2019. The four-wheeled flat-tray vehicles were produced by local startup Unmanned Solutions and featured a 200 kilograms capacity. The company was one of a pair of startups funded through Seoul’s $100 million innovation incubator.

City officials told the Korea Times the service initially tested the feasibility of last-mile commercial freight deliveries “shipping supplies from freight trucks near the main road to restaurants and shops in car-free zones inside the DMC area.”