[THE INVESTOR] An international town near the country’s western coast of Incheon is attracting drone fans and companies as it gets ready to begin building an aeronautics industry complex in 2017, officials said on July 22.

The Incheon City government is planning to start a 2017-2020 project, estimated at 78.5 billion won (US$69 million), to build an aeronautics complex in Songdo International Business District in Incheon.

Over the past two years, more than 10 firms that develop components for drones have set up offices in the district, according to Incheon City.

Internet communities and bloggers are now calling the district one of the most ideal places in the country to try out the unmanned aircraft, being free from no-fly restrictions that are imposed for military and safety reasons.

“Songdo is about the only place in the metropolis where free drone flying is allowed,” Lee Joon-taek, vice chief of Drogen, a company whose business includes drone racing, said. “We decided to set up the company in Songdo because it has the environment for drones to become a culture.”

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