[Reading Science] Space Aviation Agency 'Countdown'... Start of Orbit Entry by 5 Major Space Powers

4 Months of Launch Preparation After Passing the Space Agency Special Act
Challenges Including Workforce Securing and Budget Support Remain
Expectations for Expanding Korea's Space Industry and Economic Contributions

The full-scale journey to join the world's top five space powers begins. With the establishment of the Korea Space Agency, a core initiative of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, now on track, a grand project that gathers Korea's scientific and technological capabilities to reach out into space is about to take off.

On the 9th, the National Assembly held a plenary session and passed three bills for the establishment of the Korea Space Agency: the "Special Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Korea Space Agency (Korea Space Agency Special Act)," the "Partial Amendment to the Space Development Promotion Act," and the "Partial Amendment to the Government Organization Act."

This laid the foundation for launching the responsible department to lead the space industry, which President Yoon Seok-yeol has repeatedly emphasized since his inauguration. Although discussions in the National Assembly were delayed after the Ministry of Science and ICT proposed the bill in April last year, concerns in the related industries were eventually alleviated as both ruling and opposition parties shared the recognition that this is a national core issue, allowing the establishment of the Korea Space Agency to gain momentum from the beginning of the new year.

The Ministry of Science and ICT, the competent ministry, immediately began preparations for the Korea Space Agency's opening by the end of May. The law will be enforced four months after its promulgation.

Considering the schedule for the Cabinet meeting, the Ministry of Science and ICT expects the Korea Space Agency to be launched on either May 27 or 29. On the 11th, Minister Lee Jong-ho explained the follow-up measures following the passage of the Korea Space Agency establishment law at the Government Complex Seoul, stating, "Through the newly established Korea Space Agency, we will nurture dreams and hopes together with the public, enhance competitiveness with industry-academia-research collaboration, and pioneer a new future together with the world."

To successfully complete preparations for the Korea Space Agency's launch in the remaining four months, cross-ministerial support and cooperation are necessary. First, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to ensure the Korea Space Agency can start its operations smoothly by promptly preparing subordinate legislation, transferring organizations, securing budgets and personnel, and arranging office space.

The first priority is personnel. Minister Lee explained that the Korea Space Agency's workforce will consist of about 200 researchers and 100 administrative staff. This includes not only external researchers but also civil servants who need to be transferred.

Lee Jae-hyung, head of the Ministry of Science and ICT's Korea Space Agency Establishment Promotion Team, said, "Since about 1,500 personnel graduate annually in Korea, there will be no shortage of manpower," but it remains uncertain whether enough external experts meeting the government's standards can be hired. Minister Lee also explained that personnel from research organizations under the Korea Space Agency, such as the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, could work at the Korea Space Agency through open recruitment.

The key to securing personnel lies in appointing term-based public officials, including the head of the Korea Space Agency and other experts. Securing excellent personnel will undoubtedly determine the success of the newly launched Korea Space Agency. Therefore, the Korea Space Agency Special Act stipulates that domestic and foreign experts, including foreigners, can be hired as term-based public officials to resolve difficulties in personnel recruitment. It applies special personnel measures such as exceptional compensation and relaxed stock blind trust requirements for term-based public officials. Procedures for employment or work in related fields after retirement for term-based public officials have also been eased.

Minister Lee said, "There are many outstanding talents overseas as well," adding, "We can hire people who have worked at NASA, Korean Americans with dual citizenship, and many excellent talents from Japan, Russia, India, and other countries." This signals the possibility of hiring overseas experts.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to prepare support measures for residential and transportation conditions to facilitate the early settlement of excellent experts in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, the planned site for the Korea Space Agency. However, improvements are still needed. An environment is required where 300 experts can reside long-term, focusing on research and policy direction. A ministry official explained that Gyeongnam Province has announced large-scale support, so residential conditions are expected to improve significantly. However, concerns remain that the candidate sites proposed by Gyeongnam Province for the Korea Space Agency may not be suitable in terms of accessibility, especially as efforts to strengthen cooperation with overseas space sectors are underway.

Securing the budget is also a long-term task. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to use this year's contingency funds for preparatory expenses such as rental fees before the Korea Space Agency's opening and to prepare the budget request for the Korea Space Agency's jurisdiction by May in consultation with the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Although an aerospace fund will be established in the long term, its implementation has been postponed for two years, and how to attract and operate the fund remains a challenge.

The Ministry of Science and ICT has set a goal of government investment of 4 trillion won, about 0.2% of the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2045, to enter the top five space powers and achieve a 10% share of the global aerospace industry. This requires a significant increase compared to the current 0.04% of GDP (700 billion won). Securing investment budgets requires coordination within government ministries, including the Ministry of Economy and Finance. This means that active government support is essential for securing the investment budget.