[National Assembly Audit Focus] “Hasty Technological Transition & Lack of Legal Review…Incomplete Control Tower”
“Efforts and Institutional Expertise Must Continue for 200 Billion Won Space Startup Support Fund”
On the 16th, the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee conducted a national audit of the Space Aviation Agency’s performance a year after it was established to pivot towards civilian-led space development. While its efforts in nurturing and enhancing the expertise of the domestic space industry were positively evaluated, shortcomings in planning and operating major projects like the next-generation launch vehicle and Nuri-ho were highlighted.
The audit also covered agencies like the Nuclear Safety Commission and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. The Space Aviation Agency revealed plans for strategic investment expansion to become a space powerhouse, with a proposed budget of 1 trillion 113.1 billion won for the next year. It outlined seven major goals: the advancement of Nuri-ho’s repeated launches, development of the Korean Positioning System (KPS), landing on the moon by 2032, Mars exploration by 2045, development of advanced aerial vehicles (AAV), localization of key drone components, nurturing space and aviation talent, expanding the New Space Fund, and increasing participation in the Artemis program.
In particular, the agency plans to establish a 200 billion won ‘New Space Fund’ next year through public-private partnerships to broadly support space startups. This will be accompanied by efforts to develop lucrative space technologies and localize key components, an initiative welcomed by legislators and industry stakeholders.
Representative Lee Jung-heon from the Democratic Party emphasized the need to support capable startups developing lunar exploration rovers, noting Korea’s goal to land on the moon by 2032. Representative Lee Hae-min from the National Innovation Party stressed the limitations of commercializing high-profit technologies like reusable launch vehicle engines solely through military-led space development and urged the agency to lead in public-private cooperation.
The necessity of the KPS, budgeting 3.7 billion won until 2035, was also supported for its security merits.
However, issues were raised concerning the management of critical flagship projects like the next-generation launch vehicle and Nuri-ho. The quick push to redesign the next-generation vehicle as a reusable launcher increased industry burden, with significant sunk costs for businesses invested in the original expendable design. The Nuri-ho Heritage project, planned to support additional launches post-2027’s sixth launch, faced uncertain initiation due to poor planning, raising concerns over potential gaps in launch vehicle demand.
Additionally, sudden resignation of Jonny Lee, the first head of the Space Aviation Mission Headquarters, was criticized. Despite a presidential-level salary, his tenure seemed to yield mostly declarative achievements, leaving his position less than halfway through a three-year term, ending on the 24th of this month.
The agency, despite its overarching role in inter-agency space development, encountered redundant project issues due to insufficient prior coordination with the military, leading to the non-utilization of 5 billion won from this year’s budget. Attempts to alter project content despite possible violations of national fiscal laws were also questioned.
Legislators stressed minimizing fundamental operational errors and enhancing the agency’s role as a mature control tower as essential preconditions for leveraging the institution’s expertise and technological prowess.