A west coast town in Incheon, filled with a variety of architectures inspired by global landmarks such as New York's Central Park and Sydney's Opera House, is turning into a mecca for the drone industry.

South Korea has been promoting the fledgling industry as one of its new growth drivers. In 2003, the South Korean government designated Songdo in the western port city of Incheon, spanning 209 square kilometers, a free economic zone and bilingual city to accommodate foreign investors and residents alike. The Songdo International Business District has been envisioned as a Northeast Asian hub of business, research and development, logistics and tourism by 2020.


Along with that ambitious plan, Songdo is largely free from regulatory measures on flying drones since there are no military installations near the area, unlike the capital city of Seoul about 50 km away.

According to a drone application developed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport called "Ready to Fly," Songdo is registered as the only town in the metropolitan area that is free from flying restrictions.

Internet communities and bloggers who fly the unmanned aerial vehicles as a hobby are calling the district one of the most ideal places in the country.

"The biggest asset of Songdo, compared to Seoul, is that it's free from no-fly restrictions," said Park Sang-kook, a drone engineer at local custom-made drone manufacturer WeMakeDrone. The company is also headquartered in Incheon.

The local law stipulates that drones are not allowed to fly at many places in the country, especially in the metropolitan area where key government offices are located. Areas around military installations and nuclear power plants are also no-fly zones.

In an effort to promote the commercialization of the new growth sector, the Incheon Metropolitan Government has pushed forward with various drone-related projects.

The move comes after the government earlier said it will lift a series of regulations covering drones as part of the country's broader deregulatory campaign aimed at boosting economic growth.

The South Korean market for commercial technology of unmanned aerial vehicles is currently estimated at around 27.8 billion won ($23.4 million) and expected to expand to 1 trillion won in 2019, according to government data.

The Incheon city government said it is pushing forward with building a 16,400-square-meter joint industry-academic aeronautics complex by investing 78.5 billion won.

The complex will serve as the center for aerospace research, including drones, and will develop human resources to eventually contribute to the commercialization of the drones.

"The city government is in the process of making the detailed measures to support the (drone) firms based in Incheon," said Lee Sang-wook, an Incheon city official in charge of aerospace industry. Lee said that the city government will hold more meetings with heads of drone companies to meet their demands.

The city official said the team that will help local drone firms was set up in July and the detailed plans will be drawn up sometime next year.

More than 10 firms that produce drones have set up offices in Incheon and more than half are clustered around Songdo, according to the city government.

"Our company is located at Smart Valley in Songdo and there are two others," said Lee Joon-taek, vice chief of leading drone manufacturer Drogen, noting that engineers can freely test their products in the area.

Remote-controlled aircraft have now branched out from just being used in the military and special commercial sectors to homes everywhere, and the firms target people who fly drones as a hobby.

"The absence of legal obstacles to fly drones is definitely an asset for our engineers as Seoul is filled with regulations," Lee said, noting that the government strictly bans drones in central Seoul to protect major facilities such as the presidential office and the government complex building.

The company, which specializes in R&D of toy drones, said it logged 1 billion won in sales in the first half of this year and expects to see its sales jump in the latter half of this year.

"We recently signed a contract to export one of our latest models, Lobit 100 C, to the United States," said Lee, noting that the company is also working closely with companies that develop drone components.

Besides developing the latest technology to compete against China, where the industry is booming at a faster speed, local companies have expanded their business portfolio, with Songdo becoming the center venue.

Drogen recently opened the country's first drone cafe, where they sell not only coffee but also drones, in southern part of Songdo to foster "drone culture" and plans to build more across the country by the end of the year, Lee said.

Song Hang-woo, who races drones for recreational purposes and even attended a drone race held from July 22-24 in Incheon, said he often visits the cafe.

"Not only can I purchase the drones at a relatively low price, I also get to meet other people who enjoy flying drones and talk about this unique hobby," said Song. (Yonhap)