[Reading Science] Innovation or Disaster... Yoon Seok-yeol's 'Korean NASA' Controversy

Government Pre-announces Legislation on Special Aerospace Installation Act on the 2nd
Highlights Issues Such as Lack of Long-term Strategy and Stock Blind Trust System

"There has never been a civil servant organization like this in the Republic of Korea."

Will it lead a great leap in space development as a model case of innovation, or will it remain a 'glossy sham'? These are the expectations and controversies surrounding the government's bill to enact the 'Special Act on the Establishment of the Space Aviation Agency,' announced on the 2nd.

A promotional leaflet for the Space Aviation Agency distributed by Sacheon-si, Gyeongnam.

"Why a Space Agency?" The Fundamental Question

The government is pushing for the establishment of the Space Aviation Agency in line with President Yoon Suk-yeol's campaign promises and major national tasks, but it has yet to provide answers to fundamental questions. Why, when other fields are also urgent, should only the space aviation sector be fostered by creating a central administrative agency at the agency level through a special law? The government cites the need to respond to the intensified international space development competition and to build competitiveness in the private space industry. On the 28th of last month, Choi Won-ho, head of the Space Aviation Agency Establishment Promotion Team at the Ministry of Science and ICT, told reporters, "International competition for space development is intensifying and rapidly shifting to private sector-led efforts," adding, "The longer we delay, the more we fall behind in the global space race, so it is important to quickly organize the system."

However, controversy over South Korea's space development strategy remains. The only profitable sectors, such as the space launch vehicle market and space tourism, have already been virtually dominated by companies like SpaceX. Although South Korea succeeded in the second launch of the Nuri rocket last June, its competitiveness, such as launch cost per kilogram, is significantly lacking, making it impossible to catch up in the short term. Moreover, in space development fields necessary for national security and future technology R&D?such as space launch vehicles, satellites, and extraterrestrial exploration?existing investments are extremely insufficient (about 700 billion KRW annually), lagging far behind countries like the U.S. and China by several tens of times. In this situation, South Korea is attempting to open a Space Aviation Agency with a status and role similar to NASA, which spends tens of trillions of won annually.

There remain doubts and controversies about how much budget can be invested in space development, which may not yield clear results for decades, even if an organization is created, due to obsession with flashy external rhetoric like the 'Korean version of NASA.' There is concern that it might end up as a 'glossy sham'?a large organization like NASA on the surface but no different from before in reality. In fact, during the preliminary feasibility review of the 2021 Nuri rocket improvement project, opinions were raised that "the marketability is bleak, and the next-generation launch vehicle requires a quantum leap, but is there really the capacity and reason to invest that much?"

Will the Blind Trust System for Stocks 'Collapse'?

The exception clause to the blind trust system for stocks, proposed to recruit competent external talent, is also controversial. The government currently prohibits high-ranking public officials from holding stocks related to their duties exceeding 30 million KRW to prevent potential conflicts of interest in public and private matters. However, many experts in the private space industry hold shares in companies through startups and technology investments. If this rule is strictly enforced, it will be impossible to attract outstanding talent from private companies, research institutes, and universities to the Space Aviation Agency. Choi explained, "After consulting with the Ministry of Personnel Management, we proposed this as the most necessary task," adding, "The intention is to leave room to employ essential private experts."

However, if exceptions are allowed, there is a high possibility that the system itself will be distrusted and collapse across all ministries. There are no measures to prevent or punish deliberate or deceptive non-compliance with conflict of interest avoidance obligations. Seo Hwi-won, team leader of the Election Reform Movement Headquarters at the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, said, "It is questionable whether the system is working properly even now, and the possibility of conflicts of interest seems even greater in the Space Aviation Agency. If exceptions are applied, the system itself could be shaken," adding, "This goes against the trend in the U.S., where platforms are created to thoroughly monitor such issues as a basic condition for fair job performance, separate from expertise."

There are also various criticisms of the special hiring provisions. Introducing a scout system instead of competitive career recruitment, allowing the hiring of foreigners and dual nationals, are unprecedented special measures compared to other ministries to attract experts. However, transparency and verification measures must be ensured in the hiring process, and there are concerns about potential corruption. The government recently abolished the blind recruitment system at government-funded research institutes, citing the controversy over the hiring of Chinese nationals at a national research institute in 2020. There are no concrete measures to guarantee national security and secrecy protection when hiring foreigners and dual nationals. Choi only gave a general response, saying, "If necessary, we will prepare measures."

A promotional leaflet for the Space Aviation Agency distributed by Sacheon City, Gyeongnam.

Guaranteeing Research with Fixed-Term Civil Servants?

Questions are also raised about an organization mainly composed of fixed-term civil servants. Unlike other ministries where status is guaranteed under the National Public Service Act, the plan to allow appointment and dismissal solely by contract may be controversial. Since the Space Aviation Agency Establishment Act is a special law, it can take precedence over other laws, so implementation is possible. However, it may be difficult to guarantee long-term and stable employment, and there are concerns about fairness issues with fixed-term civil servants in other ministries and opposition from civil servant unions. An official from a government agency, who requested anonymity, pointed out, "It is questionable whether people currently in organizations with guaranteed retirement age would want to work in 5- to 10-year contract positions unless they are paid significantly higher salaries."

Challenges in Securing Living Conditions

Designating Sacheon in Gyeongnam as the location and assigning local governments and the state the responsibility to create living conditions is also a headache. When special apartment supply for central government officials moving into Sejong City became controversial in early 2022, the government amended the law to abolish the system altogether. If the Space Aviation Agency is established in Sacheon, mini new town-level development will be inevitable, raising concerns about financial burdens and recurrence of preferential treatment controversies. Given Sacheon's geographical characteristics?at least 4 to 5 hours from Seoul?providing accommodation and living conditions is not merely a convenience but an essential condition for the core goal of attracting excellent talent. An official from the Ministry of Science and ICT said, "It takes four hours from Sejong City to Sacheon, so commuting is obviously impossible," adding, "I have only been here for about two years after moving from Gwacheon, so who would want to move again? Even private experts are groaning at the mention of Sacheon."

Unclear Differentiation

There is still no clear outline on how to secure differentiation from the existing system. Currently, existing space development R&D research institutions such as the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), and Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) conduct research work while consulting with the Ministry of Science and ICT on policy, R&D planning, and budgeting. For example, KARI has led most of the work and R&D for the Nuri rocket as a national research project, while the Ministry of Science and ICT only provided support and management. The National Science and Technology Research Council (NST) handled audit functions in the middle. However, if the Space Aviation Agency is established, it plans to independently conduct R&D, making securing differentiation from the existing system an essential task. Yet, detailed work assignments and collaboration plans have not been released. Choi explained, "We are not doing all forms of R&D; existing institutions will continue their work, and the agency will conduct necessary R&D independently in a limited way," adding, "We will conduct R&D in very diverse forms." However, an official from a national research institute remarked, "Only the outline exists so far; we need to see what will be determined through enforcement ordinances," and criticized, "Since existing research institutes already handle most R&D, I don't understand what role the Space Aviation Agency intends to play."

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