Overseas, it is pushing for the commercialization of drone delivery more actively than Korea. Commercial drone delivery services are spreading mainly to large retailers in the U.S., and in Japan, drugs are delivered by drones to solve the medical gap in island areas. Experts stressed that although regulations on drones cannot be lifted unconditionally due to the peculiarity of inter-Korean relations or the narrow land area, the government should support the Korean drone business to equip it with more advanced technology.
In 2021, Walmart expanded its drone delivery service to six states including Texas and Florida, which started at one Arkansas store. The company also plans to expand the delivery volume. According to the Wall Street Journal, Walmart expects to deliver more than 1 million packages within 30 minutes by expanding the delivery volume.
The U.S. e-commerce platform Amazon started flying its latest delivery drone, the MK30, near Phoenix, Arizona from this month. Its main feature is that the MK30 is smaller in size and does not cause much noise. It can fly in rainy weather and has twice the delivery distance of the existing model. Amazon’s goal is to deliver 500 million drone deliveries a year by 2030.
Japan is also making various attempts to commercialize drones. Japanese drone company Soraina began delivering medicines on Fukue Island in Nagasaki Prefecture in April 2022, taking into account regional characteristics. A mobile medical clinic called ‘mobile car’ that can conduct both face-to-face and non-face-to-face tests is also operated. Fukue Island residents can receive prescription medications as well as medical treatment without going to the hospital in person.
China is also taking the lead in commercializing drone delivery. Meituan, a delivery platform, started delivering drones for the first time in early 2021 and opened 25 delivery routes in 11 regions including Shenzhen and Shanghai at the end of last year. Meituan’s commercialization of its drone delivery system allows people to receive food within five minutes even in the middle of the Great Wall. In particular, it is possible to fly in various weather conditions such as rain.
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
