[Anchor]

Starting today, July 1, autonomous freight trucks are being deployed on highways.

Reporter Jeon Hyeong-u shows us how they operate.

[Reporter]

A 25-ton autonomous truck is driving down the highway.

A person is sitting in the driver's seat, but they are not holding the steering wheel or pressing the pedals.

Even so, the steering wheel turns on its own, and the vehicle changes lanes.

Computers and monitors are installed throughout the interior.

Multiple LiDAR sensors and cameras are mounted on the vehicle, acting as the eyes of the autonomous system.

With the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport granting permission for paid autonomous freight transport, these trucks are being deployed on highways starting today.

While autonomous vehicles have primarily been used for passenger services, such as robotaxis, the technology has now expanded into the freight transport sector.

The plan is to have a person in the driver's seat through the end of this year, move to a stage where a person sits in the passenger seat next year, and eventually transition to fully unmanned operations.

Initially, the trucks will be used to transport parcels from Gunsan, Jeonbuk, through Jeonju, to Daejeon.

[Seo Hyun-chul / PR Team Leader, RideFlux: We need to proceed with commercialization in stages. We plan to start with late-night hours or sections where there is a shortage of (truck) drivers.]

The autonomous driving company stated, "The vehicles will operate at speeds of 90 km/h (56 mph) or less and minimize lane changes," adding, "It can be safer as it eliminates the possibility of accidents caused by driver negligence, such as drowsy driving."

However, some are raising concerns that measures are needed, as the reduction in jobs for truck drivers could happen faster than expected.

[Kim Pil-soo / Professor, Department of Future Automotive Engineering, Daelim University: As autonomous driving is applied, it could lead to logistics innovation while simultaneously creating job instability. The government and local authorities need to quickly prepare measures such as vocational retraining or job placement programs.]

There are also calls for urgent discussions regarding the liability and scope of responsibility in the event of an accident, as these have yet to be clearly established.

(Video reporting: Kang Si-woo | Video editing: Choi Hye-young | Design: Jang Chae-woo)