Yoon Visits NASA Goddard Space Center... "Korea-US Alliance Extends Beyond Earth to Space" (Update)

Harris Guides US Vice President... "Hope Bilateral Space Cooperation Leaps into a Space Alliance"
Mentions Korea Aerospace Agency (KASA), Anticipates Joint R&D and Human-Information Exchange
Full Participation in US Manned Lunar Exploration 'Artemis Program'

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) on the 25th (local time) and stated, "I hope the scope of the ROK-US alliance will expand beyond Earth into space, and that the space alliance will be at the center of the new 70 years of the ROK-US alliance." He particularly mentioned the 'Joint Statement on Cooperation in Space Exploration and Space Science' signed between the Ministry of Science and ICT and NASA, emphasizing, "The space cooperation between the two countries will serve as an opportunity to advance to a genuine space alliance."

On the afternoon of the same day, President Yoon visited NASA's Goddard Research Center near Washington DC and said, "I hope the space alliance between the two countries will expand not only in space technology and economic fields but also into space security."

President Yoon Suk-yeol, on a state visit to the United States, is visiting NASA's Goddard Space Center near Washington DC on the 25th (local time) together with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The Goddard Space Center is located in Greenbelt, Maryland, about 10 km northeast of Washington DC. Established in 1959 as the United States' first space flight center, it is a pivotal institution responsible for the development and operation of satellites and spacecraft for space observation. Previously, former President Park Geun-hye also visited the Goddard Space Center during her visit to the United States in October 2015.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who accompanied the visit to the Goddard Space Center, said, "We look forward to expanding cooperation on the Artemis program in the future." The Artemis program is a U.S.-led manned lunar exploration plan, and South Korea became the 10th participating country by signing the Artemis Accords in May 2021. Vice President Harris added, "The ROK-US alliance is a global alliance," and "The ROK-US alliance is leading the most urgent and pressing issues of our time."

President Yoon also stressed through a live broadcasted speech that on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the ROK-US alliance, the areas of cooperation between the two countries should expand into space. He specifically said, "Through bilateral cooperation, I hope the benefits of space development will reach people worldwide, and that we will play a leading role in establishing fair and reasonable principles for the use of outer space."

He also conveyed the position that cooperation in the space sector between the two countries will be solidified as a space alliance through the Korea Aerospace Agency (KASA) and NASA. President Yoon elaborated, "I hope to discover and initiate joint research and development programs between the Aerospace Agency and NASA, and to build a communication platform that enables active personnel exchanges, as well as information and knowledge sharing as cooperative partners."

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