Lee Jae-myung on First Successful Spaceflight: "Dreaming of a Space Power Korea"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, expressed his expectations by saying, "The era of the world's first private space travel has begun," and "I dream of a space powerhouse, Republic of Korea," upon hearing the news that Richard Branson, the billionaire of Virgin Galactic from the UK, succeeded in spaceflight on the 11th (local time).

On the 12th, through Facebook, Governor Lee said, "I heard the news that the first manned space tourism flight using a manned spacecraft was successful in the UK for the first time in history," and highly praised it as "a meaningful first step toward the era of humanity's great space voyage and an exhilarating event."

He continued, "Although the news came from across the sea in the UK, I dream of hope for a space powerhouse, Republic of Korea," and stated, "On May 21st, President Moon Jae-in ended the missile guidelines through the Korea-US summit, and following the lifting of warhead weight restrictions, the removal of range limits has also been achieved, creating conditions for the opening of the 'New Space' era."

Furthermore, he said, "This is a great achievement of President Moon Jae-in for the opening of the space era and the growth of the Republic of Korea," and emphasized, "We will continue the achievements of the Moon Jae-in administration and make Korea a leader in the great space voyage."

He also conveyed, "The space era of the Republic of Korea is no longer a distant future in imagination," and added, "Already, within the Democratic Party, there are opinions that systematic preparations are necessary, such as establishing a defense space development subcommittee under the National Space Committee."

Governor Lee particularly said, "Just as the automobile, shipbuilding, and semiconductor industries raised our economy and pioneered our destiny, the space industry will change our future in the 21st century," and added, "I will do my best to bring forward the day when the Republic of Korea rewrites the history of human space exploration and leads the space era."

Meanwhile, on the 20th (local time), Amazon Chairman Jeff Bezos will embark on the second spaceflight in history following Branson.

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