Drone delivery service launched for urban areas

A drone delivers CU convenience store items to the designated delivery spot at a Tancheon water park in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. [BGF RETAIL]

BGF Retail, the operator of the CU convenience store chain, launched a drone delivery service at outdoor swimming pool areas in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday.

CU was selected as the sole participant from the convenience store sector of a government-led project, dubbed "Drone Demonstration City", led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Currently, the drone delivery service is available at two water play spots in the Tancheon area of Seongnam, Gyeonggi. CU plans to extend its drone deliveries to camping sites in Taean County, South Chungcheong, starting in September.

"The water park areas in Tancheon had challenges for conventional vehicle or motorcycle deliveries due to safety reasons," BGF Retail explained regarding the decision to introduce urban drone deliveries in Tancheon. "The introduction of a drone delivery service ensures faster and secure services by flying over the river."

There are only seven set products at CU now available for drone delivery, with a delivery fee of 3,000 won ($2.30). This includes CU's popular snacks and coffee beverages, as well as water play essentials like shampoo, towels, band-aids and ointments. CU plans to expand the items based on customer demand.

The drone delivery service operates from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Customers can place orders using dedicated QR codes for delivery or through the Zero Lab website.

Drone delivery in the convenience store industry is not entirely new in Korea. Previous trials mainly focused on remote areas, like pensions and camping sites, due to limited accessibility.

In July 2022, CU provided drone delivery services to customers at a camping site approximately 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles) away from its chain in Yeongwol County, Gangwon. Similarly, 7-Eleven launched drone deliveries to cater to a nearby pension in Gapyeong Sunmokwon. This time, CU is the first convenience store in Korea to test such a service in urban areas.

The Transport Ministry's drone trial project, scheduled to continue until the end of November, aims to promote drone delivery commercialization by 2027.

However, challenges remain due to limited technological advancements for urban applications and regulatory complexities.

"Safety was always the top priority, which is why previous drone delivery operations were limited to sparsely populated areas like towns or townships in Korea due to regulatory restrictions," a BGF Retail official said. "This demonstration project plays a crucial role in testing the safety and feasibility of drone deliveries in dynamic urban environments."

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]