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New aviation standards endanger Busan's signature drone show

Published: 25 Jun. 2025, 16:44

A special edition of a drone show takes place at Gwangalli Beach in Suyeong District, Busan, on May 31. [YONHAP]

Busan’s signature drone show at Gwangalli Beach, which has drawn tourists and helped cement the beach as one of the city’s top hot spots, may be at risk due to newly tightened flight safety regulations.

New safety standards for nighttime group drone flights took effect in March, tightening the distance required between drone flight zones and spectators, Busan and Suyeong District said on Wednesday.

Under the updated rules, the safety zone now includes both the drone flight area and the takeoff and landing zone.

The previous required distance between spectators and the flight area was 100 meters (328 feet) for nighttime drone shows involving 500 to 1,000 drones, but the new standard measurement begins from the beach where drones take off — rather than from above the sea, where the show itself takes place.

That change poses a problem for Gwangalli Beach. The current distance between the sandy launch area and nearby roads and buildings, where viewers gather, is only about 70 meters.

That falls short of the 100-meter requirement.

For shows involving more than 1,000 drones, like Gwangalli’s New Year’s countdown or Chuseok harvest festival performances, the safety buffer expands to 150 meters, making compliance even harder.

The Suyeong District Office, which organizes the event, is scrambling to respond.

Since April 2022, the district has hosted drone shows every Saturday at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. — adjusted to 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. during winter months.

The district plans to add a permanent laser light show starting next year.

Spectators watch a drone show at Gwangalli Beach in Suyeong District, Busan, on May 31. [YONHAP]

The district will install six or more high-powered laser beams and searchlights on the Gwangandaegyo Bridge ahead of a pilot performance on July 5.

Officials expect that combining the laser show with the drone performance will have a stronger impact, but the entire program hinges on whether drone shows can legally continue per the revised standards.

The district is operating under an exemption for now.

The drone show operator secured flight approval just before the rules changed and is allowed to run shows through August under the previous standard.

“We have asked the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the aviation authorities to ease the new rules,” a Suyeong District official said. “If the new criteria are applied as is, it would be practically impossible to hold drone shows in urban areas like Busan.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY WE SUNG-WOOK [[email protected]]