"That Day, There Was No Nuriho 'Byungpung' on Narodo Island" [Reading Science]

Politics and Science, Hope Must Be Based on 'Truth'

President Moon Jae-in delivering a national message
(Goheung=Yonhap News) Photo by Choi Jae-gu = President Moon Jae-in is delivering a national message at the launch control building of Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, after observing the launch of the Korean launch vehicle 'Nuriho (KSLV-2)' on the afternoon of the 21st. 2021.10.21

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] It is a sensitive period ahead of the March 2022 presidential election. Everything becomes 'politicized' during this time. Even the private lives of presidential candidates' families become topics of discussion and issues among all kinds of people. In such times, whatever you say is bound to be criticized as taking one side or another. However, I believe it is the duty of the press to distinguish between 'facts' and 'fake news.'

"There was no 'byeongpung' at Naro Island that day."

In the scientific community as well, sensitive political issues have arisen ahead of the presidential election. One representative case was the 'byeongpung' controversy related to the launch event of South Korea's first indigenous space launch vehicle, 'Nuriho,' held on October 21 at the Naro Space Center in Naro Island, Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do.

At that time, a media outlet reported that President Moon Jae-in delivered a message to the nation immediately after the Nuriho launch, and when the background appeared empty, scientists were mobilized as a 'byeongpung' (screen) to stand behind him. The 'behind-the-scenes' figure was identified as Tak Hyun-min, the Blue House Protocol Secretary. The media quoted a scientist involved in the Nuriho development saying, "I felt truly disheartened that the hard work we put in day and night over the past decade to develop Nuriho seemed to be regarded by some as just a brief event." They also criticized, "At the historic site where we built the space launch vehicle with our own strength, the hardworking scientists were invisible, and only a political event was visible."

It is a fact known to all citizens that President Moon delivered a message to the nation live on terrestrial broadcast after observing the launch. Moreover, it is true that Minister of Science and ICT Lim Hye-sook and other officials stood behind President Moon in a fan-shaped formation.

However, Secretary Tak refuted the article, pointing out that the journalist who wrote it was not even present at the scene, calling it 'groundless.' He sarcastically said, "Every time I see such immature and devilish articles, I wonder why I have to be so tired because of this one reporter. If that was the goal, congratulations, you succeeded. There is no end to what needs to be done, but thanks to this, I am very tired. Next time, ask me before you write."

President Moon Jae-in delivering a national message
(Goheung=Yonhap News) Photo by Choi Jae-gu = President Moon Jae-in is delivering a national message at the launch control building of Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, after observing the launch of the Korean launch vehicle 'Nuriho (KSLV-2)' on the afternoon of the 21st. 2021.10.21

Who is telling the truth? Were the scientists really mobilized as a 'byeongpung'? Unfortunately, I was not at the scene either, so I could not directly verify the facts. The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute limited the number of journalists allowed on-site due to COVID-19 prevention measures. Recently, however, I had the opportunity to meet several officials who were present at the scene and hear about the situation. They included Director Lee Sang-ryul of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and some staff members.

Director Lee dismissed the 'byeongpung' claim, saying, "The atmosphere was not like that. I think the 'byeongpung' claim is an exaggeration" and called it groundless. According to Director Lee, President Moon arrived at the site around 5:40 p.m., went to Research Building 1 to rest, watched the launch process while adjusting the content of his message to the nation, and stood in front of the broadcast camera around 6:05 p.m. when the results came out. He said, "Looking at photos, one might 'imagine' such claims, but from the perspective of someone who was with him throughout the visit, it was an encouragement for the researchers." He added, "It was uncomfortable to discuss the 'byeongpung' controversy because it seemed like politicizing a technical event."

It was not only Director Lee. Staff member A of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, who was present at the scene, testified regarding the photo that sparked the 'byeongpung' controversy, saying, "No one instructed anyone to stand around like a 'byeongpung' at the site. It happened naturally due to the narrowness of the site." Another staff member B said, "The atmosphere at the site was free enough that young scientists who are fans of President Moon naturally approached him to ask for autographs and photos. The 'byeongpung' controversy is a fabrication."

They provided statements to the reporter that were completely opposite to some media reports about the existence of the 'byeongpung.' Since I was not at the 'scene' either, I cannot definitively say who is right. Nevertheless, I want to revisit this 'byeongpung' controversy now to discuss the relationship between science and politics.

Politics treats science as part of governance tools and as a basis for decision-making. However, there are many cases where the ruling forces try to exploit it out of greed or block scientific progress due to prejudice. Even narrowing down to the space sector, a representative case was during the Park Geun-hye administration, which forcibly advanced the lunar exploration project schedule, ignoring the realities of technology development, because it was a 'presidential election pledge,' only to have to reverse it later. The Lee Myung-bak administration abolished the Ministry of Science and Technology for efficiency reasons, and when the Naroho launches initiated by the Roh Moo-hyun administration repeatedly failed, other budgets were frozen, causing disruptions in the continuity of space sector research and development (R&D). These are examples of excessive political intervention.

Conversely, science sometimes uses politics. The Hwang Woo-suk incident is a representative example. The current 'byeongpung' controversy also seems to be a similar case. The 'byeongpung' claim originated from a Korea Aerospace Research Institute official who had held a high-ranking position during the previous administration and claims to have been subjected to 'retaliatory audits' under the current government. He must have been aware of the impact that the single word 'byeongpung' from his mouth could have during such a sensitive time.

In last year's U.S. presidential election, Democratic candidate Joe Biden was elected with the slogan, "We choose science over fiction." It was a determination not to repeat the confusion, incompetence, and arrogance brought by former President Trump, who actively used 'fake news' to influence the political situation even during the COVID-19 emergency.

We should especially keep in mind these days that both science and politics must be based on 'truth' to become a hope for all.

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