Gyeongnam Province and French National Center for Space Studies Join Forces to Boost Space Economy Development

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, met with Philippe Baptiste, Chairman of the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), at the CNES annex on the 19th.

According to Gyeongnam Province on the 20th, CNES, composed of three space centers under France, is responsible for research and development and industrialization of France's aerospace policy.

As of 2021, its budget is 23.35 billion euros, making it the third largest in the world after the United States and Russia, and it employs about 2,000 staff members.

Gyeongnam Governor Park Wan-su (left) is meeting and conversing with Philippe Baptiste, Chairman of the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). [Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

Governor Park, who embarked on his first global economic diplomacy in the 8th local government term, and the Gyeongnam delegation discussed with Chairman Baptiste the functions and roles of CNES to prepare for the establishment of the Sacheon Aerospace Agency, scheduled to open within the year, and shared the vision of the French space economy to elevate Gyeongnam as a leading aerospace city.

Attending the meeting were Park Dong-sik, Mayor of Sacheon, Kwon Soon-ki, President of Gyeongsang National University, and Gu Ja-cheon, Chairman of the Gyeongnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council.

Governor Park proposed exchange and cooperation with CNES upon the opening of the Korean Aerospace Agency within the year and sought advice on the role of local governments in the agency's inauguration.

Chairman Baptiste responded, saying, "Korea is a leading country in digital and information technology (IT)," citing examples such as planning projects to jointly build small satellites, and noted that there could be potential content for cooperation with CNES.

He added, "CNES is actively promoting policies to foster startups related to aviation," and emphasized, "For the development of Korea's aerospace industry, it is important for local governments to nurture startups, which is crucial for the advancement of the aerospace industry."

Governor Park said, "This will be an opportunity to seek a systematic framework for the Aerospace Agency through linked cooperation with CNES," and added, "In the new space era, amid global competition to secure the space economy, we will do our best to strengthen space cooperation with CNES."

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