Czech drones flew again to Busan in 2025
11.03.2025 / 01:46 | Aktualizováno: 11.03.2025 / 01:54
At the turn of February and March, the world leaders in the segment of unmanned aerial vehicles traditionally met in Busan, South Korea, for the Drone Show Korea 2025. This year's tenth and also the largest edition of the most important trade fair of its kind in Asia attracted over 300 companies from 15 countries and among them there was a strong representation of companies from the Czech Republic. They proved that our solutions will not be lost even in the fierce global competition.
According to a report by the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology (KIAST), the size of the global drone market is expected to grow from USD 33.6 billion in 2023 to USD 54.6 billion by 2030. By the end of 2023, over 6,800 companies were operating in the South Korean unmanned aerial vehicle segment, of which about 600 were manufacturers and the rest were service providers. The main areas of drone use during this period were reconnaissance and inspection activities (42.2%), filming of audiovisual content (32.3%), agriculture and pest control (13.3%) and, lastly, education and other activities (8.3%). According to data from the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), there was a significant increase in exports of Korean-made drones last year, up 260% to USD 27.5 million. This growth is largely attributed to a shift away from the purchase of Chinese-made goods by the US. The increase in the volume of Korean production thus also presents opportunities for Czech companies, for example in the supply of components.
Drone Show Korea is Asia's largest drone fair, held annually in Busan, South Korea. This year's edition was both the tenth anniversary and the largest ever with 306 participating companies from 15 countries and approximately 40 thousand visitors. A prominent theme was drone-based spatial information technology (note: Drone Spatial Information Tech). Space was also devoted to AI-based drones, precision control technology and long-distance transport options. At the same time, the Czech Republic is also very strong in this advanced segment, as evidenced by the traditionally large participation of our companies. This year, seven of them met in Busan - UAVA, Workswell, Dronetag, Flapper Drones, Mejzlík Propellers, Rescue Trailer and TRL Drones. All of them were supported by the Czech Ambassador Ivan Jančárek, who unveiled the national stand organized by the CzechInvest and CzechTrade agencies in Korea.
Further important information on importing into Korea can be obtained from the links below:
1. Korea Drone Industry Promotion Association : https://www.kodipa.org/
2. Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology: https://www.kiast.or.kr/en/index.do
3. Drone Portal: https://www.droneportal.or.kr/
Interactions between companies
Exhibited products
Interested Czech companies can contact the Commercial Department of the Czech Embassy in Seoul at: seoul.commerce@mzv.gov.cz.
Jakub Kopecký, economic specialist of the Czech Embassy Seoul