80% of Citizens Support the Establishment of the Space Agency... "Securing Top Talent is the Highest Priority"

Ministry of Science and ICT Announces Survey Results on the 21st

It was found that 80% of the public supports the establishment of the Space Aviation Agency.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 21st that it obtained these results by conducting a survey through Korea Research as part of collecting public opinions following the legislative notice of the "Special Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Space Aviation Agency." The online survey was conducted from March 2 to 5, targeting 1,000 citizens (with a maximum allowable sampling error of ±3.1%p at a 95% confidence level) regarding the necessity and success factors of establishing the Space Aviation Agency. The survey was conducted on 1,000 adult men and women aged 18 and over, using a proportional allocation extraction method based on region, gender, and age.

Reference photo.

Among the respondents, 79.6% thought the establishment of the Space Aviation Agency was necessary. 15.3% showed a reserved stance, and only 5.1% expressed opposition. By gender, men supported it more at 83.8% compared to women at 75.4%. By age, citizens aged 60 and over showed the highest support at 82.1%, followed by those in their 40s (80.9%), 20s (78.9%), 50s (77.4%), and 30s (76.5%). By region, citizens living in Incheon and Gyeonggi showed the highest support at 82.0%, followed by Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam (80.7%), Gangwon and Jeju (80.5%), Seoul (78.9%), Gwangju and Jeolla (78.6%), Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong (77.7%), and Daegu and Gyeongbuk (74.2%).

The most necessary factor for establishing the Space Agency was securing excellent talent (6.37 points out of 7). This was followed by expert support (6.13 points), cooperation with overseas related organizations such as NASA (6.10 points), and public empathy (6.04 points). Meanwhile, inter-ministerial cooperation (5.96 points), cooperation between ruling and opposition parties (5.58 points), and the president’s will (5.53 points) scored below the average (5.99 points).

The top factor for achieving the goals of establishing the Space Agency was also attracting the best talent (6.28 points out of 7). This was followed by securing a stable budget (6.21 points), close international cooperation (6.14 points), flexible organizational management (6.04 points), and continuous public interest and efficient public-private cooperation (6.01 points).

Regarding conditions for attracting excellent talent, 91.7% (multiple responses allowed) cited the creation of a creative research environment. Comfortable living environments including housing, medical care, education, and culture (88.3%), and exceptional salaries (82.8%) were also highly rated.

As obstacles to establishment within the year, organizational selfishness among ministries (28.6%), lack of government will (18.3%), non-cooperation of the National Assembly (17.1%), and vested interest groups in the aerospace sector (11.0%) were cited in order. Controversy over the location selection process accounted for only 8.8%.

Choi Won-ho, head of the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Space Aviation Agency Establishment Promotion Team, said, “We will meticulously prepare systems and measures in the special law and subordinate statutes to secure the best talent and create a creative research environment,” adding, "We will do our best to ensure that the Space Aviation Agency can be established within this year."