Socar Launches Korea's First Public Road Remote Driving Pilot in Jeju

The door to future mobility has opened! SoCar, Korea's leading mobility platform, set an innovative milestone in Jeju on the 27th. By starting the first remote driving demonstration operation on public roads in Korea, it heralded an era of driverless mobility. This bold endeavor is a collaborative effort by a powerful consortium comprising SoCar, Kia, KT, and SUM, with SoCar at the forefront. Notably, with the full support of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, it received regulatory sandbox approval, establishing a solid foundation for technology verification. Key stakeholders, including Bae Seong-ho, Head of Mobility Policy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Jang Hyuk, Head of SoCar's Strategy Unit, personally attended this historic site, meticulously examining the stability and immense business potential of future technology. Remote driving is, literally, a revolution in "driverless" mobility. It's an advanced technology that allows an external control center to grasp all situations via real-time video and precisely control the vehicle, even without a person inside the vehicle. In a real demonstration, an astonishing scene unfolded where the control platform perfectly remotely controlled a vehicle from Jeju Airport to the SoCar Terminal. Seamless control was made possible through remote driving-specific cameras and ultra-high-speed 4G/5G communication networks, and the presence of safety personnel was mandatory to prepare for any contingencies. Four key public roads across Jeju, including the Jeju Airport-SoCar Terminal section, Yongduam Rock, Iho Tewoo Beach, and Pyoseon Haevichi Beach, are the stages for this demonstration. Prioritizing safety, a maximum speed of 50km/h will be maintained, and after private testing this year, this special experience will be offered to general passengers starting in 2026. The Jeju SoCar Terminal, the heart of this project, is a key hub equipped with a state-of-the-art remote control platform and an efficient vehicle management system. SoCar plans to accumulate vast amounts of data here, and materialize innovative business models that remote driving technology will bring to car-sharing services. Jang Hyuk, Head of SoCar's Strategy Unit, stated his ambition, saying, "Based on our overwhelming infrastructure of over 5,000 SoCar Zones nationwide and 10 million members, we are partnering with various entities to expand the horizons of the mobility industry." He added, "Beyond simple car-sharing, we aim to create innovative value that customers can directly experience in every moment of their travel." SoCar's vision of a driverless future is now a reality within reach.