Aerospace Administration Nominee Visiting Sacheon Faces Numerous Challenges to Resolve

Delayed Preparation of Temporary Office, Need to Consider Main Office Construction
Ministry of Science and ICT - Korea Aerospace Research Institute Relations Require Mediation
Internal Labor Disputes at Korea Aerospace Research Institute Must Also Be Resolved

Yoon Hyung-bin, the nominee for the Space and Aeronautics Administration, and John Lee, the nominee for the Deputy Director of the Space and Aeronautics Administration, carry heavy responsibilities. The opening of the Space and Aeronautics Administration is approaching on the 27th, but numerous challenges remain in operating the administration, conducting research, and managing affiliated institutions after its launch.

Professor Yoon Young-bin of Seoul National University's Department of Aerospace Engineering, appointed as the inaugural Administrator of the Space Aviation Agency (from left), John Lee, former senior executive at NASA, appointed as the Grade 1 Director of the Space Aviation Mission Headquarters, and Noh Kyung-won, Director of Research and Development Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, appointed as Deputy Administrator of the Space Aviation Agency, attended a personnel briefing held at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 24th of last month, listening to remarks by Sung Tae-yoon, Chief of Policy at the Presidential Office. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on the 2nd, nominee Yoon visited the remodeling site of the temporary office of the Space and Aeronautics Administration on the 1st together with Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Due to delays in the lease contract for the office building, the remodeling work started late, and the indoor space for 293 employees is still under construction on the floors, walls, and ceiling. Although it is a temporary office, it is hard to avoid the perception that the 'base camp' leading the future of Korea's space industry looks shabby. The Space and Aeronautics Administration Establishment Promotion Team stated, "We will expedite the remodeling work to ensure there are no issues by the opening date."

Nominee Yoon must also begin work on constructing the main office building. Since there were considerable difficulties even in confirming the temporary office, it is necessary to find the optimal combination that satisfies work efficiency and local interest through consultations with Sacheon City.

Setting the direction for the tasks and missions of the Space and Aeronautics Administration is also important. Most of the personnel and missions of the administration are concentrated on launch vehicles, artificial satellites, and lunar exploration. Even in the recruitment announcement of the Space and Aeronautics Administration, the proportion of personnel for space research is extremely limited. The Establishment Promotion Team explained that since it is the initial staffing, the recruitment for various research fields can be increased in the future, but there are already voices of distrust on the ground.

Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT and Yoon Hyung-bin, the appointed Administrator of the Space Aviation Agency, visited the temporary office of the Space Aviation Agency in Sacheon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do on the 1st to check the move-in preparation status. Photo by Ministry of Science and ICT

A science community official expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "The concentration of personnel in specific fields foreshadows the future direction of the Space Administration." It is pointed out that even if Deputy Director John Lee assumes his post, it will not be easy to promote various space research fields.

The confusion within the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), which will be incorporated under the Space and Aeronautics Administration, also needs to be resolved. KARI is currently experiencing serious internal conflicts as well as issues with its superior institution, the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Last year, when personnel who developed the Nuri rocket at KARI attempted to move to Hanwha Aerospace, the Ministry of Science and ICT accused them of technology leakage and reported the employees to the prosecution. Although the prosecution conducted a search and seizure at KARI at the end of last year, the announcement of the investigation results was delayed and ultimately concluded with no charges on the 30th of last month. The Ministry of Science and ICT also conducted a special audit on KARI, imposing severe disciplinary actions on many researchers, raising questions.

Former First Vice Minister of Science and ICT Cho Sung-kyung stated at the National Assembly last year, "There was information shared during the audit indicating signs of technology leakage," but after the prosecution's no-charge decision, the Ministry of Science and ICT only said, "We cannot comment on matters related to the audit."

An official from the space and aeronautics industry said, "It is hard to understand the Ministry of Science and ICT's stance of accusing personnel moving to a domestic company, not a foreign one, of technology leakage." This is a complaint that the measure goes against the new space era led by the private sector. Due to this, Hanwha Aerospace announced that it would hire former KARI Director Cho Kwang-rae as the Chief Technology Officer of the Future Space Basic Technology Research Institute, but he has not been formally employed yet.

Inside KARI, labor-management relations have worsened due to issues with payment of allowances to the research team of the lunar exploration spacecraft 'Danuri.' During the five-month suspension of Danuri's development due to design problems, KARI did not pay research allowances to the researchers. KARI claims there is no basis to pay the unpaid allowances amounting to about 100 million won and intends to wait for the Supreme Court's final judgment, but the labor side's dissatisfaction is not calming down. If the Supreme Court sides with the labor side, significant ripple effects are expected not only for the Space and Aeronautics Administration but also for the Ministry of Science and ICT and other affiliated research institutes.