Science and ICT Committee Agenda Coordination Subcommittee: "Space Aviation Agency Act to be Processed by Early October at the Latest"

Held Agenda Coordination Committee on the 5th and Appointed Chairman Jo Seung-rae

The National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee announced that it will handle the Space and Aeronautics Agency Act at a plenary session in early next month.

On the 5th, the committee held a bill coordination committee meeting, appointed Cho Seung-rae, a member of the Democratic Party and the opposition party's secretary, as the chairperson of the coordination committee, and agreed on the future schedule.

The coordination committee plans to hold three meetings on the 13th, 19th, and 25th of this month and reach a conclusion on the Space and Aeronautics Agency Act before Chuseok at the end of this month. At the first meeting, five related laws will be presented to hear opinions from the government and experts. At the second meeting, opinions from field researchers such as the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) will be heard. The final third meeting will involve a comprehensive discussion of all contents.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

After the coordination committee meeting, Chairperson Cho told reporters, "Since the national audit will proceed immediately after Chuseok, a plenary session is inevitable, and the plenary session resolution will be made by early October at the latest," but added, "if the coordination committee reaches a conclusion on the 25th."

Through the three coordination committee meetings, the ruling and opposition parties plan to discuss the issues surrounding the bill. Both parties agree on establishing a dedicated space administrative agency, but there are differences regarding the agency's status and functions, as well as its relationship with subordinate organizations, which they intend to coordinate.

The debate over the location of the dedicated space administrative agency may also become an obstacle in negotiations. In Gyeongnam, there is a strong push to host the Space and Aeronautics Agency in Sacheon. Sacheon, Gyeongnam, is the constituency of Ha Young-je, an independent lawmaker formerly affiliated with the People Power Party. On the other hand, Chairperson Cho, who proposed the amendment to the Space Development Promotion Act to establish a 'Space Strategy Headquarters,' represents Daejeon, where KARI and KASI are located.

However, Chairperson Cho emphasized that discussions about the location should be excluded from the coordination committee. He said at the meeting, "There was a movement that distorted the debate on the Space and Aeronautics Agency to seem like a debate about its location rather than the content," and added, "The content should not be shaken because of the location. If you want a quick and proper conclusion, I ask that you refrain from further political rhetoric."

After the meeting, in response to reporters' related questions, he also stressed, "The location is not mentioned anywhere in the government's legislation or in the bill we submitted. In places like Gyeongnam, there is a repeated insistence on 'pass it no matter what,' but that is not a desirable discussion," and emphasized, "For the whole country, the focus should be on what kind of dedicated space administrative agency with what status and role will be created, and the location is a secondary issue."

Meanwhile, the committee reached a consensus on appointing Chairperson Cho and concluding the coordination committee before Chuseok through negotiations between secretaries after a breakdown in the plenary session on the 31st of last month. The coordination committee meetings had previously been disrupted twice over the appointment of the chairperson. Initially, the Democratic Party insisted that Secretary Cho should be the chairperson, while the People Power Party maintained that Democratic Party member Byun Jae-il should be the chairperson because Cho had proposed the bill to establish the Space Strategy Headquarters.

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