Suwon Special City Selected for Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's '2026 Drone Demonstration City Construction Project'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-seong] Suwon Special City announced on the 15th that it has been selected for the '2026 Drone Demonstration City Construction Project' competition organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The city plans to proceed with the 'Sky Convenience Store with Gwanggyo Promenade Drone Delivery Service' project to demonstrate drone-based delivery services in the areas surrounding Gwanggyo Lake Park and Gwanggyo Reservoir.

Two drone delivery hubs including takeoff and landing facilities and 8 drone delivery pickup points will be installed. Customers can order food and beverages, emergency kits, and other items via smartphone and receive deliveries by drone.

In particular, the city plans to establish automatic flight paths separate from pedestrian routes and set up a real-time monitoring control center to ensure safety.

The project period runs from March to November. A total project budget of 470 million won (270 million won in government funds and 200 million won in city funds) will be invested. Infrastructure for drone delivery will be constructed, with service operations scheduled to begin in June.

On the 13th, the city signed a business agreement with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and announced its project implementation plan at the '2026 Drone Demonstration City Construction Project' agreement ceremony and startup report session held at the Daejeon Convention Center.

The ceremony was attended by officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Aviation Safety Technology Institute, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, and relevant local government officials from 18 selected demonstration cities nationwide.

A city official stated, "Citizens will be able to experience future logistics and transportation services utilizing drones in their daily lives," and added, "We will make efforts to help Suwon City take a leap forward as a city leading the future mobility industry."