South Korea has set a goal to increase its presence in technology for driverless mobility by developing commuter drones, transformable submarines and flexible self-driving flying cars by 2030.

The vision laid out by the science ministry on Thursday is part of a 10-year state sponsorship program in the development of underlying technology to meet futuristic mobility needs.

The government aims to ramp up its position in technology capabilities in this field to the third place in the world with a market share of 10 percent by 2030.

The government expects rapid technological progress in the area of unmanned mobility systems, where full self-driving automation and parcel-carrying drones will be realized within a few years.

Under the plan, the government will support projects to develop new mobility concepts and products, for example, a man-carrying drone for commuting, an unmanned vehicle operable both on land and in the air and an underwater robot for oceanic management.

The ministry said the global unmanned mobility market more than doubled from $15 billion in 2013 to $32.6 billion in 2016 and is expected to surge to $274.2 billion in 2030.

By Won Ho-sup and Minu Kim

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