South Korea — On a spectacular field dotted with metal structures and glowing rings, American players compete in an international match © Lee Bum Su Famous for its tourism, festivals, and culinary specialties, the city of Jeonju is, above all, the birthplace of Drone Soccer, as conceived by FIDA. It was here in 2015 that Lee Bum Su laid the foundation for what is now modern Drone Soccer. Between a passing fad, educational needs, soccer’s influence, and a shared market, here is the full story of « Made in Korea » Drone Soccer. 1)    Before Drone Soccer was created, what was your connection to drones and soccer, and how did you come up with the idea of turning it into a sport ? – “Before Dronesoccer, various types of remotely controlled aircraft, including helicopters, airplanes, and drones, existed primarily as individual hobbies rather than organized team sports with standardized rules. Around 2015, as consumer drones became increasingly popular, a variety of game-oriented drones entered the market. One thing they all had in common was that they were designed to avoid collisions, and many included emergency-stop functions in case a collision occurred. At the time, the concept of a drone specifically designed to collide with other drones simply did not exist. I became interested in developing drones intended for controlled collision. While designing such machinery, I adopted a protective outer frame inspired by the structure of a Fullerene C60 molecule. Interestingly, its shape closely resembled a soccer ball. Like many people, I have always been a soccer fan. My family has also been a long-time supporter of the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors football club based in Jeonju, Korea. In the early days, many people told me that the name “Dronesoccer” was not appropriate and suggested alternative names. However, because both the drone technology and the game itself were unfamiliar to the public, I believed the name should be as familiar and accessible as possible. That is why I insisted on calling it “Dronesoccer.” 2)    What was the process of creating the FIDA ? 3)    Why is this tech-sport perfectly suited for Korean society and Asian society in general ? 4) Many people view Drone Soccer as an educational tool : were you aware of this impact from the start ? To expand participation, we developed smaller and safer Dronesoccer standards specifically designed for students and began actively promoting the sport within