REGULATIONS / KR

South Korea: drone rules for inspection

South Korea regulates drones as ultra-light vehicles under the Aviation Safety Act. Drones used for business must be reported or registered whatever their weight, and non-business drones over 2 kg are also covered. Pilot certificates are graded by weight, from Class 4 (over 250 g to 2 kg, online course) to Class 1 (25-150 kg). Night and BVLOS flights need special flight approval, with a KIAST document and on-site review, a standard 30-day processing time and mandatory insurance. Most of the Seoul capital area is prohibited or restricted airspace that needs prior approval. A separate aerial photography permit is no longer mandatory, but filming security facilities is punishable.

Checked against official sources

Fields are recorded in the language of the research notes.

Authority	国土交通部 (MOLIT)、韓国交通安全公団 (TS)、航空安全技術院 (KIAST) / Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT); Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS); Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology (KIAST, safety inspections for special flight approval)
Main framework	Aviation Safety Act (항공안전법), Articles 122-131-2 on ultra-light vehicles, which include unmanned powered flying devices, together with its Enforcement Rules. The English statute listing reviewed is the version promulgated on 19 March 2024, but it showed article headings only, not their text. The Drone Utilization Promotion Act (2020) was not reviewed (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22).
Registration	Drones used for business must be reported or registered whatever their weight (processing takes about 7 days). Non-business drones of 2 kg or less are exempt. Applications go through the Drone One-Stop portal (drone.onestop.go.kr). The over-2 kg threshold for non-business drones comes from the general rule and was not read in the statute itself (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22).
Remote ID	No Remote ID mandate was found in the sources reviewed (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22).
Pilot licensing	Pilot certificates for unmanned multicopters are graded by maximum take-off weight. Class 4 covers over 250 g to 2 kg and is earned through an online course and test. Class 3 covers over 2 kg to 7 kg (6 h of flight experience), Class 2 over 7 kg to 25 kg (10 h), and Class 1 over 25 kg to 150 kg (20 h). No certificate is needed at 250 g or less. Flying without the required certificate can bring a fine of up to KRW 3 million. Source: a Seoul city article from 2022; the start date of 12 March 2021 was not checked (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22).
Risk categories	Certificates are graded by weight, as above. Flight approval is needed in controlled, prohibited and restricted airspace, above 150 m, and for unmanned powered vehicles over 25 kg.
BVLOS	Night and BVLOS flights need special flight approval (특별비행승인) under Aviation Safety Act Article 129(5). Applications go through the Drone One-Stop portal. KIAST reviews the documents and the flight route against airspace, may inspect on site (drone, route, hazards, monitoring, observer communication, emergency procedures such as lost link, collision avoidance), and then approval is issued. Applicants need a pilot certificate, commercial insurance, safety certification for UAVs over 25 kg, a UAV fact sheet and a flight plan. The standard processing time is 30 days. In 2019-2022, 1,744 applications led to 1,402 approvals, about 6% of them for facility inspection.
Night & over people	Under the general operator rules: no flights at night (sunset to sunrise) without special flight approval; no flying over crowds; no flying under the influence of alcohol; no dropping objects.
Near structures	Seoul and the surrounding capital area lie within prohibited and restricted airspace (including P-73), so flights there need prior approval through the Drone One-Stop portal, applied for 3-5 days ahead. Unapproved flights can be fined up to KRW 5 million (Aviation Safety Act Art. 161). A separate aerial photography permit is no longer mandatory, but filming restricted or security facilities is punishable in any case. Applying in advance is still advised, to find out whether a site contains a restricted facility. No specific rule on power lines or railways was found (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22).
Indoor & confined	(not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22)
Imaging & privacy	Personal Information Protection Act; filming restricted facilities is prohibited (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22, apart from the facility-filming point, which comes from the Seoul city guidance).
Recent changes	The Seoul city guidance (updated April 2026) says a separate aerial photography permit is no longer mandatory, though filming restricted facilities remains punishable. When this changed was not checked. Other changes in 2024-2026 were not checked (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22).

Sources

Sources checked: 2026-10-22