South Korea to Seek 5G Frequencies for Autonomous Driving

The Ministry of Science and ICT has initiated work on establishing a frequency plan for 5G-based vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication to advance next-generation intelligent transportation systems (C-ITS) and autonomous driving. With AI-powered smart highways becoming a global focus, the move aims to accelerate infrastructure development and industry growth. Officials emphasized that sufficient inter-agency coordination will be critical to overcoming past collaboration challenges. The ministry plans to finalize a '5G-V2X Frequency Utilization Policy (Draft)' by year-end, allocating expanded 40 MHz bandwidth in the 5.9 GHz band compared to current LTE-V2X's 20 MHz. Industry experts welcomed the shift, noting it could enhance autonomous driving safety, reduce traffic accidents, and revitalize stalled V2X/C-ITS innovation.