South Korea plans to launch L4 self-driving public vehicles by 2025 and for private cars by 2027

According to BusinessKorea, South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport unveiled its mobility innovation roadmap on Sept. 19. According to it, it expects L4 self-driving public vehicles to be commercially available by 2025, with the same technology expected to be available for private cars by 2027. The ministry plans to commercialize L3 autonomous driving later this year, trailing only Japan and Germany.

South Korea plans to launch L4 self-driving buses by 2025 and private cars by 2027

In addition, the ministry plans to launch the first Urban Air Mobility (UAM) service in South Korea in 2025. The service is expected to serve airport users between downtown Seoul or Gyeonggi and Incheon and Gimpo airports. According to the roadmap, multiple vertical airports will be built in major cities by 2030 to better connect airports, train stations and bus terminals.

The roadmap also mentions delivery robots for apartment buildings and downtown, UAM services for the 2030 Busan Expo, and the designation of dedicated highway lanes for self-driving cars for testing purposes scheduled for the first half of next year.

The ministry is also studying super high speed rail technology to launch 800 to 1,200 km/h logistics services by 2040. Super High Speed Rail passenger transport is not yet included in the Ministry's roadmap.