EREVAN, FIVE AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is taking active steps to expand the urban air mobility (UAM) sector. Korea plans to launch the so-called “flying taxis” program in 2025. As a first step, the ministry plans to attach flying taxis from the airport in the country’s capital to downtown Seoul. For the implementation of the program, South Korea mobilizes the capabilities of the country’s giant companies. The country is also cooperating with the United States on the project.
SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest wireless telecommunications operator, is involved in the program’s launch activities.
During a media excursion organized through the Korean Information and Culture Service, Irene Kim, head of SK Telecom’s communications planning team, told ARMENPRESS that Korea is making serious efforts to expand the UAM in the country. In Korea, the Ministry of Land and Transport plays a key role in the progress of this sector. In 2025, the ministry seeks to link the airport to the city center through “flying taxis. “SK Telecom, Hanwha Systems and other corporations have formed a consortium. A control bank will be established in Seoul’s Cheongdam-dong District in November. And we plan to be successful in commercializing this generation until 2025. Our country is looking to expand that direction. We are also cooperating with the United States on this issue,” he said.
During a stopover at SK Telecom’s headquarters, journalists had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the company’s “smart city” task through a “virtual tour. “The company presents its own long-term concept, especially what life will be like in 2052. Words are not enough to describe this virtual excursion. You’ll see the long-lasting flying taxis on this excursion whose launch is not far away.
Incheon International Airport, the largest airport in South Korea, is 40 km from the capital, Seoul. It takes 40 minutes, or up to an hour, to get from downtown Seoul to the airport by car. According to other estimates, this flying taxi ride only takes 20 minutes. Some air taxi concepts have already been tested in several countries, including the United States, Japan and also South Korea. In some cases, those air taxis look like a small helicopter or a small plane, but according to estimates, they are safer and more environmentally friendly.
Irene Kim also presented another main task of SK Telecom: ifland. ifland is SK Telecom’s metaverse service that provides a diversity of functions for social networks and becomes a globally available service driven by cooperation with partners. It is a platform where other people can create their own characters in a virtual domain and talk to each other.
“These have already been introduced in Korea. During the spread of COVID-19, other people communicated a lot on this platform. After the pandemic subsided, they are still very popular. Many other people, especially young people, continue to use the interior. And we plan to launch them in 80 countries around the world by the end of the year,” said Irene Kim.
SK Telecom Co. , Ltd. , a South Korean wireless telecommunications operator, founded in 1984. It is one of the largest chaebols in the country. The company leads the local market with a 50. 5% market share.
Shant Khalghatian
Photos via PENTA PRESS, SK Telecom