Korea-US Join Hands to Develop Korean Satellite Navigation System... Joint Statement Signing Ceremony

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The governments of South Korea and the United States have agreed to cooperate on the development of the Korean Positioning System (KPS).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Science and ICT held a signing ceremony on the 27th for the "Joint Statement on Korea-US Satellite Navigation Cooperation" with the U.S. Department of State, Department of Commerce, and the National Coordination Office for Space-Based PNT.

This Korea-US satellite navigation cooperation joint statement is a follow-up measure to the Korea-US summit held on the 21st (local time). The two leaders agreed at the summit to support the development of KPS and to strengthen coexistence and interoperability between KPS and GPS.

The statement includes specific details on Korea-US satellite navigation cooperation, such as ▲collaboration on signal design to ensure coexistence between KPS and GPS ▲enhancement of interoperability between GPS and other satellite navigation systems and KPS ▲promotion of bilateral meetings for discussions related to KPS.

Until now, South Korea has relied on the U.S. GPS system without its own navigation system, but since 2018, it has prepared for "GPS independence" by incorporating plans to build KPS in the "3rd Basic Plan for Space Development Promotion." With this satellite navigation joint statement, it is expected that KPS can be smoothly developed with support from the U.S. side.

The KPS development project is currently undergoing a preliminary feasibility study, and if it passes, full-scale development is scheduled to begin in 2022.

The signing ceremony was held via video conference, with South Korea represented by Ryu Hak-seok, Director of the Energy Science Diplomacy Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Shin Jae-sik, Director of the Large Public Research Policy Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT. The U.S. was represented by David Turner, Acting Director of the Space Division at the Department of State, and Harold Martin, Director of the National Coordination Office for Space-Based PNT at the Department of Commerce, signing in a 2+2 format.

Director Ryu stated, "This signing has greatly expanded the horizon of Korea-US cooperation in the space sector, and we will continue to provide support to strengthen cooperation between the two countries throughout the KPS development process."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.