First self-driving bus to hit the road in Korea in December

First self-driving bus to hit the road in Korea in December. January. 06, 2017 07:12. by Hee-Chang Park ramblas@donga.com.

The first self-driving vehicle, a product representing the fourth industrial revolution, will hit the road in Pangyo, a city located in the outskirts of Seoul, in December this year. "Bio Pay," which lets you pay with your palm vein will be introduced by the end of June.

The Strategy and Finance Ministry, the Land, Infrastructure and Transportation Ministry, and the Financial Services Commission reported this year’s economic plan to Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn in the Government Complex Seoul in downtown Seoul on Thursday.

The self-driving vehicle will be a 12-passenger bus running at 30 kilometers per hour in the 2.5 kilometer distance between Pangyo subway station and Pangyo Techno Valley. It will be the first self-driving vehicle carrying passengers. Self-driving buses will also be introduced at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February next year.

A new system in which you can purchase an item only with your biometric information without a credit card or cash will be created. If you register your palm vein to a device, you can make payments by putting your palm on the device in a store.

Given the increased political uncertainty due to the president’s impeachment, they selected politically neutral plans including projects related to the fourth industrial revolution. Some point out that it did not include fundamental but sensitive issues that threaten the Korean economy such as a protracted low growth, a low birth rate, and aging. Politically controversial policies such as fostering the service industry and removing regulations are also missing in the plan.

“Jobs should be in the center of all state affairs and we should provide active support to creating jobs in the corporate sector by injecting government budget, increasing support for overseas business expansion and providing support to start-up companies,” Acting President Hwang said.