In an Asian first, the government of South Korea is building a small city dedicated as a site to test self-driving technologies.
Dubbed K-City, the site is being built on an 88-acre slab of land and will be used by local technology companies including Samsung, SK Telecom and Naver as well as Hyundai and Kia, Korea Business Times reports.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea, K-City will include expressways, zones for autonomous parking and bus-only lanes in an attempt to accurately mimic a real city. The site, set to be completed in 2018, will cost the government about 11 billion won ($9.7 million) to construct.
Last week, Samsung received approval to test autonomous cars on public roads in South Korea as the country looks to become a leader in the self-driving field.
In November 2016, the U.S. Department of Transportation started construction of a 335-acre site in Southeast Michigan as a purpose-built facility for the testing, verification and self-certification of connected and autonomous vehicles. When it opens, it will surpass South Korea’s K-City as the largest location of its kind.
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