South Korea Redesignates Two Autonomous Vehicle Test Zones in Chungnam and Chungbuk

South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has redesignated two autonomous-vehicle pilot operation zones, in Naepo New Town (Chungcheongnam-do) and Chungbuk Innovation City (Chungcheongbuk-do), effective 13 October 2026. The decision was published as Ministry Notice No. 2026-550 in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea No. 21338 of the same date, under Article 7 of the Act on the Promotion and Support of Commercialization of Autonomous Vehicles. Together the two zones cover 34.85 km of designated routes.

The notice was issued by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport under paragraphs 1 and 4 of Article 7 of the autonomous-vehicle act and published in accordance with paragraph 5 of the same article. Both entries are formally changes (변경) to existing pilot zones rather than new designations, and both run “from 13 October 2026 until the designation is lifted,” with no fixed end date.

The legal framework was loosened shortly beforehand. An amendment to the same act, promulgated as Act No. 21967 and carried in the gazette of 22 September 2026, deleted the requirement that a pilot zone span two or more provinces and empowered provincial governors to designate zones within their own territory after deliberation by a local autonomous-vehicle committee.

Chungnam: 21.9 km with free passenger service

The Naepo New Town zone in Chungcheongnam-do covers 21.9 km in five segments:

• Ride-experience section: 5.3 km
• Crime-prevention patrol section: 7.0 km
• Parking and stopping enforcement section: 5.3 km
• Circular bus section: 4.0 km
• Shuttle bus section: 0.3 km

Under the special provisions for paid passenger transport, this zone is listed for a free passenger-transport route service. The stated purposes are to improve public awareness of autonomous driving through ride experiences, to improve mobility in vulnerable time bands where public transport is absent, and to test transport-convenience measures in local cities with weak public transport. Enquiries are handled by the Road, Rail and Aviation Division of the Chungnam Provincial Office (041-635-2832).

Chungbuk: 12.95 km and a ten-vehicle cap

The Chungbuk Innovation City zone covers 12.95 km in three segments:

• Circular route through Deoksan-eup, Jincheon County and Maengdong-myeon, Eumseong County: 6.8 km, linking the Korea Consumer Agency, the Hydrogen Safety Museum, the Maengdong Innovation City branch office, Umirin Stay and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency
• Extension to the National Fire Hospital and the former Maengdong-myeon office: 5.68 km
• Maengdong Humansia extension: 0.47 km

Unlike Chungnam, this zone authorises paid passenger transport, with a ceiling of ten licensed vehicles. Its stated aims are to revitalise public transport in support of the innovation city’s energy-based green-city model and to improve living conditions through autonomous public-transport services. Enquiries go to the AI Strategy Division of the Chungbuk Provincial Office (043-220-8442), with the documents posted on the provincial website.

Why it matters

The two notices move autonomous driving out of closed test tracks and onto ordinary streets in two provincial cities, where the practical test is not the technology but whether residents use it. For commuters in Naepo and the Chungbuk innovation cluster, the immediate effect is a new, partly free transport option in areas the notice itself describes as lacking public transport. For operators, the distinction is commercial: Chungnam’s route is free, while Chungbuk opens a paid service capped at ten vehicles, the first concrete licensing ceiling attached to these zones. Both designations remain open-ended, so the experiment continues until the ministry lifts it.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea (관보), No. 21338, 13 October 2026, Notices (고시), p. 84 (official reference: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Notice No. 2026-550).