"No Issues in Nuriho 3rd Launch... Improvement in Treatment Including Starting Salary Increase"

Sangryul Lee, President of Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Reveals at Press Briefing on the 10th
Dismisses Internal Conflicts and Concerns Over Last Year's Organizational Restructuring
"Nuriho 3rd Launch Preparation Progressing Normally, No Setbacks"
Introduces Key Plans Including Researcher Treatment Improvement and UAM Business

Sang-ryul Lee, President of Korea Aerospace Research Institute.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Lee Sang-ryul, President of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), stated that the third Nuri rocket launch scheduled for the end of May this year is being prepared normally, dismissing concerns about setbacks due to recent internal conflicts arising from organizational restructuring. He also expressed his intention to improve working conditions, including raising the starting salary by around 4 million KRW.

On the afternoon of the 10th, Lee held a New Year's meeting with the press at a restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, saying, "This year seems to be a very good year. Last year, we successfully launched the Nuri rocket and Danuri, and Danuri will begin its mission from the 21st of this month."

He emphasized that full efforts are being made to prepare for the third Nuri rocket launch scheduled for May and that preparations are proceeding without any issues. He said, "So far, the schedule is progressing step by step, and upon review, all indicators are green. There are no warning signs in the details." He introduced, "The third Nuri launch will carry about seven satellites in total, including the first next-generation small satellite, four Toyosat satellites developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, and company CubeSats." Present alongside him, Choi Seok-hwan, Director of the Launch Vehicle Research Center at KARI, added, "Around March, the launch vehicle R&D personnel will reorganize into a team dedicated to the launch mission and begin full-scale preparations. We plan to start by checking whether the payload satellites are properly prepared."

This official statement from KARI dismisses concerns about setbacks in the third launch raised during the organizational restructuring at the end of last year. At that time, KARI disbanded the Korea Launch Vehicle Development Project Headquarters, which had been responsible for Nuri rocket R&D for over ten years, and reorganized into project-specific dedicated teams for next-generation launch vehicles and small launch vehicles. During this process, key figures in the Nuri development, including former headquarters chief Ko Jeong-hwan, opposed the disbandment, expressing concerns that it might cause setbacks for the third Nuri launch, sparking controversy over neglect. KARI has emphasized the necessity of the restructuring, stating it is essential to carry out multiple projects with limited personnel.

On this day, President Lee said, "I met with former Chief Ko and promised to support as many personnel as possible for the third launch," but also rebutted, "Reorganizing the research structure from a vertical single-line system to a matrix system to perform various missions is a natural step seen in research institutions worldwide; the answer is already clear." Director Choi explained, "The Nuri development personnel are not leaving due to the restructuring; they are all staying. Next week, we will move offices, but only about ten people will move desks, and even that is just internal relocation." He added, "All researchers who successfully carried out the second launch will perform the same roles for the third launch, so it should proceed successfully."

President Lee also emphasized improving researchers' working conditions. He plans to raise the starting salary, which is currently about 38 million KRW and ranks 21st out of 25 government-funded research institutes, to the 42 million KRW range, an increase of about 4 million KRW. He said, "I am aware that there are many complaints, especially among young researchers, and the institute will make efforts to improve this. If changes occur due to the establishment of the Space Aviation Agency, we will request further improvements. Before that, I am appealing to employees to raise the value of KARI."

Regarding disciplinary actions against former Chief Ko and others, he remained distant. Lee said, "We created internal blind boards, collected opinions via email, and established communication channels such as junior-senior councils, but it is regrettable that unrefined remarks were made externally." He added, "It is a waste of time to drag this out for months over disciplinary controversies. For now, I do not want to spend much energy on disciplinary matters." However, he left room for possibility, saying, "I have asked the internal audit body to closely monitor to prevent such incidents from recurring even after my term ends." When asked about role allocation issues with the establishment of the Space Aviation Agency, he replied, "I am not concerned about that." He said, "Whoever does it, the person who does the job well should take charge. The achievements KARI has built as a specialized organization over 30 years cannot be easily ignored. Whether through mutual complementarity or by the better-performing side taking over, it will be resolved."

President Lee also pledged to do his best for the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) project, which is scheduled for a test flight this month. He said, "KARI plays an important role as the secretariat institution for the K-UAM project."

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