[2026 Future Business Forum] Hwang Jeonga and Ko Dongjin: "Space Technology Is a National Strategic Asset... Korea Must Rise to the Top 5 Space Powers"

Hwang Jeonga of the Democratic Party of Korea

Dongjin Ko of the People Power Party Delivers Congratulatory Speech

Asia Future Business Forum 2026

There has been a suggestion from the political community that all of the nation's capabilities must be mobilized to gain leadership in the space industry. Lawmakers emphasized that space technology is a core strategic asset that will determine national security and future growth engines, pledging robust legislative and policy support.

Hwang Jungah, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated in her congratulatory speech at the 2026 Asia Future Business Forum held at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul on the 13th, "Space technology has become a national strategic asset that determines the country's competitiveness, serving as a future growth engine organically combining national security, advanced industries, and private sector innovation."

She continued, "The Lee Jaemyung administration, based on this understanding, has ushered in the era of a 1 trillion won budget for the Korea Aerospace Administration, and successfully completed the fourth Nuri launch last year. In addition, international space cooperation is being further solidified, as demonstrated by the recent loading of the K-RadCube on NASA's Artemis II mission."

She added, "As a member of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee and Chair of the Democratic Party's Special Committee on Science and Technology Innovation, I will do my utmost to support the space industry as South Korea's new growth engine through legislation and policy." Hwang, a former principal researcher at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, is a scientist who developed the payload for Korea's first science and technology satellite, Ourisat-4, and the Dosat (cube satellite) on the Nuri rocket.

Goh Dongjin, a member of the People Power Party and former CEO of Samsung Electronics, also stated in his congratulatory speech, "Just as Columbus's discovery of the New World ushered in the Age of Exploration and transformed human history, the world is now entering a new era of space exploration. By around 2040, the global space industry market is projected to exceed 1.5 trillion dollars, and competition among nations to secure space supremacy is intensifying by the day."

He continued, "South Korea has set the goal of sending a domestically developed lunar lander to the Moon by 2032 and achieving a 10% share of the global space market by 2045, and is continuing to take on these challenges. Now is the time for all of us to unite our capabilities so that Korea can play a central role in the future space industry."

Goh added, "In that sense, this forum—held under the theme 'Space Nomics: South Korea's Growth Engine Found in Space,' which explores the changes and response strategies in the space industry— is a highly meaningful event. With experts from the space sector present today, I look forward to in-depth discussions on the roles the government, National Assembly, industry, academia, and research institutions should play to help Korea rise as one of the world's top five space powers."