Flying a drone at night in South Korea

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of South Korea. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• Night flight permittedConditional
• Authorisation requiredConditional
• Lighting requirementConditional
• Pilot requirementNot resolved
• Operational conditionsNot resolved
• ExceptionsNo

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Application for Special Flight Approval for Night or BVLOS Flights

  An operator who intends to fly an unmanned aircraft at night or beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) must submit an application for special flight approval (특별비행승인) along with supporting documents, such as specifications, flight plans, and pilot qualifications, to the Regional Aviation Administration.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Approval for night drone operations

  An unmanned aircraft pilot (무인비행장치 조종자) may conduct night flights (야간에 비행 등) only if they have obtained approval (승인) from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in accordance with safety standards.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Exemptions for Public Interest and Emergency Operations

  Unmanned aircraft owned or leased by the State, local governments, or designated public institutions are exempt from the operator compliance rules under Article 129, Paragraphs 1, 4, and 5 when flown urgently for public purposes (such as firefighting, search and rescue, disaster response, or emergency medical transport), provided that safety management measures (안전관리 방안) are established in accordance with MOLIT regulations.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Joint application for flight permission and special flight approval

  An applicant seeking approval for night flights (야간에 비행 등) may apply for flight permission (비행승인) under Article 127(2) and (3) concurrently.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Night Flight Prohibition for Unmanned Aircraft

  Operators of unmanned aircraft (무인항공기) are prohibited from flying at night.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Prohibition on Night Flight

  An ultralight flying device pilot must not fly from sunset to sunrise (night flight), unless they have obtained approval (허가) under Article 124 of the Act.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Special Flight Approval Authority

  Applications for special flight approval (특별비행승인) and associated safety inspections for night or beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations must be submitted to the Regional Aviation Administration (지방항공청장).

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• 항공안전법 (Aviation Safety Act, Act No. 21268) — Chapter 10 초경량비행장치 — 국토교통부 (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)Open

Known limitations

• 2 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in South Korea

• Do I need to register my drone in South Korea?Registration in South Korea depends on the aircraft and the operation: it applies once the published conditions below are met, each cited to the rule that sets it.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in South Korea?Drone flights in South Korea are held to a published general height limit of 150 m AGL. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in South Korea?Drone flights near aerodromes in South Korea are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in South Korea?Whether an operation in South Korea needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in South Korea?Remote pilot competency in South Korea scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.
• Do I need drone insurance in South Korea?Whether drone insurance is required in South Korea depends on the aircraft and the operation, as published in the conditions below.

All drone laws in South Korea