Flight approval is not something every drone flight in Korea needs. Whether it applies depends on where you fly, how high you go, and which aircraft you use. Going out to a site without understanding that distinction is how crews end up abandoning a flight on the day of the shoot, so it belongs at the front of your planning, before the schedule is fixed.
When flight approval is required
The main cases in which you must obtain 비행승인 (flight approval) before flying are these.
- Flying inside a control zone: in principle, approval is required within the control zone set around an airport. This covers not only major airports such as Incheon and Gimpo but also the areas around military airfields.
- Flying in prohibited airspace: designated areas include the region near the Demilitarized Zone, the surroundings of major national and nuclear-related facilities, and parts of central Seoul.
- Flying above 150m: any flight climbing 150m or more above the ground or water surface requires approval regardless of the airspace below it.
- Aircraft with a maximum take-off weight above 25kg: an aircraft over this weight needs approval wherever it flies.
Conversely, if you fly an aircraft of 25kg or less below 150m and outside control zones and prohibited airspace, you may fly without a separate flight approval. Even then the operator's duties still apply in full, and you must separately hold the device registration and the operator certificate matching your weight band.
What applies even when no approval is needed
"Not subject to approval" does not mean "fly however you like". The following apply at all times, approval or not.
- No night flying between sunset and sunrise (this falls under special flight approval)
- No beyond-visual-line-of-sight flying outside the operator's own field of view (also special flight approval)
- No hazardous flying over densely populated areas and no dropping of objects
- No flying under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Checking the airspace, in other words, is only where preparation begins. Time of day, visibility and where people are standing on the ground all have to be read together before you know whether the flight is actually possible.
Filing through the Drone One-Stop Civil Service
Applications go through the Drone One-Stop Civil Service (드론 원스톱 민원서비스, drone.onestop.go.kr). It used to be necessary to file separately with each authority; now a single application is routed to the Regional Aviation Administration or the military body that manages the airspace concerned. The application screen generally asks you to enter or attach the following.
- Date, time, area, altitude and intended route of the flight
- Aircraft details, registration number, and whether insurance is in force
- Operator details and the class of operator certificate held
- Purpose of the flight and whether filming is involved
- Map material marking out the flight area
The critical part is allowing enough lead time for processing. Review can take several days depending on the authority and the area, and requests for supplementary material are common, so filing close to your intended flight date can mean the schedule passes before approval arrives. File at least several days ahead, and considerably earlier for anything involving military airspace. Processing times and detailed requirements can change, so check the current position on the Drone One-Stop Civil Service or in Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport notices.
Flight approval and the aerial photography permit are separate
This is the most common misunderstanding. Flight approval answers the question "may this aircraft fly in this airspace". The aerial photography permit (항공촬영허가) answers a different question — "may this area be photographed" — and it is a separate process administered by the Ministry of National Defense, under a different authority altogether. Fortunately both can be filed through the Drone One-Stop Civil Service, so for a flight involving filming, think of it as submitting two applications from the same screen. Turning up on site holding only one of them is a problem.
Checklist for the night before
- Is the registration number marked on the aircraft?
- Do you hold both the flight approval and the aerial photography permit?
- Do the approved date, area and altitude match what you actually plan to do?
- Does the operator's certificate class match the weight band of the aircraft in use?
- Is the insurance in force, and is this aircraft listed on the policy?
- Is there any chance of running past sunset?
Flying without approval, or climbing above 150m, is subject to an administrative fine of up to KRW 3 million. Flying in restricted airspace without approval is treated as a criminal matter, with a fine of up to KRW 5 million. A single sheet of paper is what separates the two outcomes.
Light Beyond Drones films across Daejeon and the surrounding region and checks the flight approval and aerial photography permit steps as part of every job. Tell us the location and the dates you have in mind, and we review whether the area is subject to approval, and which documents and lead times are involved, before the shoot date is confirmed. Our courses put the live One-Stop application screen on the projector and have students practise on their own flight plans, so if you want to prepare for the certificate and for real fieldwork at the same time, get in touch.
Sources
This article is based on the Korean government and public-institution materials listed below. Regulations are amended from time to time, so please check the original source before you file anything.
