Sacheon Mayor Park Dongsik Visits Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) for the First Time in the New Year

Preparation for Leap to a Global Aerospace City

Mayor Park Dong-sik Visits Korea Aerospace Industries, Taking the First Step Toward Becoming an Aerospace City

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Sacheon City, Gyeongnam Province, a hub city for aerospace in the Republic of Korea, has taken a strong first step toward becoming a global aerospace city.

On the 1st, Mayor Park Dong-sik visited Korea Aerospace Industries with Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Park Wan-su as his first step in the new year of 2023.

The visit was attended by about 40 people, including Governor Park, National Assembly member Ha Young-je, Chairman Yoon Hyung-geun of Sacheon City Council, the Vice Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, the Vice Mayor of Sacheon City, and senior officials from related departments.

On that day, Mayor Park clearly expressed his determination to leap beyond being a domestic aerospace industry hub city to becoming a global aerospace industry hub city while listening to the current status of the space industry and inspecting the space center.

He also plans to enhance the product competitiveness of local companies by promoting aerospace test certification fee support projects and aerospace quality certification projects.

By promoting support projects for aerospace industry aircraft parts companies, the city will improve companies’ processes and facilities, and nurture talented personnel equipped with practical skills through field-customized aerospace MRO workforce training projects.

Support projects to revitalize aerospace industry exports targeting small and medium-sized enterprises will provide marketing consulting, contract review, overseas business trips, and other assistance.

Through the operation support project of the Gyeongnam Aerospace Industry Support Group, marketing capabilities and business support for small and medium-sized enterprises will be strengthened.

Furthermore, the city will improve its industrial structure by moving away from analog processes to smart industries.

By promoting smart factory construction support projects, an intelligent factory capable of integrated management of the entire process from product planning to sales using information and communication technology will be established.

Through the leading-type digital cluster smart factory construction support project, intelligent factories capable of supply chain management, digital twin, and big data construction will be disseminated.

The aerospace parts manufacturing process intelligence project will support maximizing productivity by intelligentizing the main NC machining equipment of parts companies.

Additionally, the city will strengthen regional research capabilities by building networks with regional base universities and research institutions.

Through support projects for the Aerospace Core Technology Leading Research Center and the Future Space Education Center, personnel for developing core satellite system technologies will be trained.

Plans are also in place to operate educational programs tailored to the demands of the future aerospace industry through support for the Engineering Education Innovation Center.

In particular, the city is also taking the lead in securing the future flight vehicle market in preparation for the era of future air traffic.

By participating in the Gyeongnam-type future aircraft prototype development and demonstration infrastructure construction project, a foundation for developing future-type aircraft will be established.

Through discovering Gyeongnam-type future air mobility routes, the city plans to proactively conduct tests and demonstrations such as designing airspace and routes and analyzing radio wave environments.

Currently, Sacheon City has selected the aerospace field as a strategic project and has swiftly begun preliminary preparations for the successful establishment of the Space Aviation Agency. It has already started the basic plan establishment service for urban development linked with the Space Aviation Agency.

Moreover, to support investing companies with unprecedented benefits differentiated from other local governments, the city revised the investment attraction-related incentive ordinance, which has been in effect since December last year.

Mayor Park said, “In the new year of the Year of the Black Rabbit, we will draw a big picture for the development of Sacheon City, including the administrative complex town, to support the establishment of the Space Aviation Agency. We will focus administrative power on strategic projects in the aerospace field to make this year the first year of leaping forward as a global aerospace hub city.”