Senior Safety Watch Team Monitoring Illegal Drones Around Jeju Airport

Near Jeju International Airport, the 'Senior Aviation Safety Monitoring Team,' made up of residents in their 60s and older, is inspecting illegal drones and various aviation safety hazards. They patrol on foot around Iho Tewoo Beach and the coastal road area in Jeju City to check whether drones are being flown. When the monitoring team detects an illegal drone, they record the photo, location, and time in an app, then report it to the police to help with onsite response. Near airports, where the risk of drone collisions is high, even unauthorized flight alone can disrupt aircraft takeoffs and landings, so the need for onsite monitoring is being emphasized. This project is operated by the Jeju Regional Headquarters of the Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged and Jeju Airport of Korea Airports Corporation. It started with 16 members last year and has now grown to 132. The model, which began in Jeju, is also being expanded to other major airports, and officials said they are also carrying out promotional efforts to inform tourists and citizens about drone flight regulations within controlled airspace.