South Korea

Key Points188

Funding:

The 2022 space budget is $553 million.

Organizations:

• Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) • Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI)

Capabilities:

• Naro Space Center launch site • Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) • Nuri KSLV-II three-stage launch vehicle • STSat-2 Earth monitoring satellite

International partners:

The United States, Europe, Russia, Australia

S U M M A R Y

South Korea (ROK) is a technologically advanced nation with a strong economy and rapidly growing space sector. Despite its diplomatic clout and good standing with key international partners, South Korea struggles with tense relations with its neighbors. The Korean Peninsula has long been an arena of conflict, which has colored most aspects of South Korea’s public policy, including the space sector. Space programs are predominantly military, based on early warning capabilities and surveillance and reconnaissance. South Korea has satellite design, manufacture and launch capabilities, with ambitions to land on the moon in 2030, and develop the Korea Positioning System (KPS) by 2035. These achievements are significant, but the development and testing of rockets, as well as the reintroduction of solidfuel launchers has exacerbated tensions with North Korea. The neighboring authoritarian regime is developing space capabilities of its own. South Korea relies on space-based systems to bolster its defense posture and enhance deterrence in the region.

N A T I O N A L S P A C E O V E R V I E W

The Korean Peninsula has long been a region of conflict and tensions, leading to rapid development of military and defense technologies in space. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) was established in 1970, to research develop, and test defense technologies, including space-related technologies.189 The founding of the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) in 1974 set off the development of a sizeable space sector. In 1987 the Aerospace Industry Development Promotion Act was the first legislation adopted, followed by the establishment of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) in 1989.190 KARI, the aeronautics and space agency of South Korea, focuses on science and technology in space-based and multidomain defense technologies.191 Considering the mounting threats from its neighbor, South Korea aspires to become a global space and military power to maintain its defense posture against North Korea.

In 1993, South Korea launched its first scientific sounding rocket, KSR 1, followed by two others in 1997 and 2002. These rapid developments set the pace for spacerelated initiatives. South Korea sent its first astronaut, Yi So-yeon, to the International Space Station in 2008. Yi was heavily promoted in the media, although she announced her retirement in 2014, to pursue her business studies.192 By 2009, South Korea built the Naro Space Center, successfully launching the Naro-1 rocket (Korea Space Launch Vehicle KSLV-I) into orbit in 2013.193 The milestone STSat-2 delivered important Earth atmosphere monitoring and space system orbit tracking capabilities.194 In October 2021, the launch of South Korea's first domestically built space rocket (KSLV-II) completed its flight sequences but failed to deliver a test satellite into orbit.195 KARI plans to conduct more test launches in 2022.196 The Nuri KSLV-II rocket is a three-stage launch vehicle capable of placing a 1.5-ton application satellite into solar synchronous orbit at 600-800 km.197 Overseen by the government, private defense contractor Korea Aerospace Industries is responsible for the design and manufacture of the Nuri rocket.198

“The Aeronautics and Space Agency of South Korea ” focuses on science and technology in space-based and multidomain defense technologies ”

189 ESPI (2021). 190 Ibid. 191 Ibid. 192 Kang, Tae-jun (2014) South Korea’s Only Astronaut Retires. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2014/06/south-koreas-onlyastronaut-retires/ 193 ESPI (2021). 194 ESA (2022). 195 Smith, Josh (2021) S.Korea's Moon vows 'Korea space age' after rocket test falters. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/skorea-prepares-launch-first-domestically-produced-space-rocket-2021-10-20/ 196 Smith (2021) 197 KARI (2022) Nuri, the Korean Launch Vehicle. https://www.kari.re.kr/eng/sub03_04_01.do 198 Onchi, Yosuke (2021) South Korea chases global ambitions in space and defense. Nikkei Asia. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Aerospace-Defense/South-Korea-chases-global-ambitions-in-space-and-defense

South Korea also plans to develop and launch its first solid-fuel rocket by 2024. Successful engine tests took place in July 2021, after the United States lifted longstanding restrictions on the use of solid fuels under a revision of the South KoreaUS missile guidelines.199 Solid fuels provide improved thrust and are less complicated than liquid propellants.200 Developing solidfuel capabilities can signify a considerable step towards opening a nation’s launch sites to foreign private companies. The planned 2024 launch from the Naro Space Center in Goheung would deliver a 500 kg reconnaissance satellite to orbit.201 The government has revealed plans to build additional infrastructure, including a new launching site and a rocket tracking system at Goheung. 202 If successful, the South Korean military plans to use these launch vehicles to deliver reconnaissance satellites into orbit to monitor North Korea, as part of the country’s "kill chain" detection and pre-emptive strike system.203

The ROK defense budget has been increasing rapidly, with its five-year defense plan starting in 2022 calling for $266 billion in total spending.204 As well as bolstering defense against its neighbor, South Korea also harbors ambitions to become a global space leader. In 2021, South Korea announced plans for a 4% increase in its space budget of $544 million for 2022, bringing the budget to $553 million. 205 The government has also earmarked $1.4 billion for the domestic defense satellite sector over the next decade.206 There are plans underway at KARI to develop a reusable launcher with liquid-fueled 100-ton thrust engines, but timelines are not yet clear.207 This rocket is considered necessary for South Korea’s ambitions of landing on the moon by 2030 and building the KPS by 2035.208 To prepare for these goals, South Korea aims to establish a pilot network of communication satellites to support 6G wireless, and to enable advanced technologies such as autonomous vehicles and a nanosatellite constellation system for space-related national defense.209 A moonshot would certainly place South Korea as a global space leader. In addition, the KPS - consisting of eight satellites intended for launch between 2027 and 2034 – would present a gamechanger for Korea’s space sector and global standing. The KPS would make South Korea the seventh country in the world to have its own satellitebased positioning, navigation and timing system.210

199 Soo-hyang, Choi (2021) S. Korea to launch homegrown solid-fuel space rocket by 2024. Yonhap News Agency. https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210916003351325 200 Onchi (2021). 201 Soo-hyang (2021). 202 Ibid. 203 Onchi (2021). 204 Ibid. 205 Si-soo, Park (2021h) South Korea seeks $553 million space budget for 2022. SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/south-koreaseeks-553-million-space-budget-for-2022/ 206 Smith, Josh and Sangmi Cha (2021) S.Korea's launch of space rocket boosts its homegrown contractors. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skoreas-launch-space-rocket-boosts-its-homegrown-contractors-2021-1021/#:~:text=South%20Korea%20plans%20a%204,the%20domestic%20defence%20satellite%20sector. 207 Si-soo, Park (2021a) South Korea to develop reusable rocket with 100-ton thrust engines. SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/south-korea-to-develop-reusable-rocket-with-100-ton-thrust-engines/ 208 Si-soo (2021a). 209 Si-soo, Park (2021b) South Korean leader vows ‘landing on the moon by 2030’. SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/southkorean-leader-vows-landing-on-the-moon-by-2030/ 210 Si-soo, Park (2021c) South Korea’s GNSS project to take off with $3.3 billion budget. SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/southkoreas-gnss-project-to-take-off-with-3-3-billion-budget/

I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I O N

After a devastating war on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea has risen to become the world's 12th-largest economy and nation of advanced technologies, home to Samsung Electronics, a global tech leader.211 The country holds good diplomatic relations with many countries, as well as a Korean former UN Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon. Despite South Korea’s international standing as a key regional power, technological giant and economic powerhouse, it suffers from poor relations with its closest neighbor. The end of World War II saw the Korean peninsula divided into two territories, followed by the Korean war in the 1950s. The two countries have had frosty relations since, exacerbated by North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests.

The United States and South Korea are longstanding allies, based on their shared military history in the Korean war. In addition to cooperating on matters related to defense and security, the two countries are major trading partners. In the space industry, companies from both countries have collaborated on large-scale projects. In August 2021, the South Korean air force agreed to join the US space Force training to enhance their space defense capabilities. The agreement also established a join consultative body to share space policy aims, space surveillance information and missile defense capabilities.212 Beyond the two countries’ military cooperation, there has been extensive collaboration in the private sector. In late 2021, Seoul-based ground station services provider Contec agreed to collaborate with US smallsat mission integrator NanoAvionics to send an Earth observation satellite to space in 2023 onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.213

South Korea and The European Union (EU) are important trading partners since the establishment of a free trade agreement between the two parties in 2011.There is also growing security cooperation between the EU and South Korea, centralized in four key areas: nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament; cybersecurity; preventive diplomacy and crisis management; and space policy and technology.214 EU-ROK space cooperation formed during the 2006 agreement regarding the joint development of the Galileo program where parties contributed to a civil global navigation satellite system.215 In 2016 Europe-based Thales signed a contract with KARI to supply technologies derived of the satellite navigation-augmenting EGNOS system.216 The EGNOS system, developed for the European Space Agency, improves the precision of GPS signals over Europe, providing regular updates on signal integrity.217 Both the EU and South Korea benefit from space cooperation, for example, in shared access to images vital for national security and crisis management.

211 Phys.org. (2021) South Korea launches first domestic space rocket but mission fails. https://phys.org/news/2021-10-south-koreaspace-rocket-tv.html 212 Si-soo, Park (2021f) US, South Korea agree to enhance security cooperation in outer space. SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/us-south-korea-agree-to-enhance-security-cooperation-in-outer-space/ 213 Si-soo, Park (2021g) South Korean ground station operator orders its first EO satellite. SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/south-korean-ground-station-operator-orders-its-first-eo-satellite/ 214 Casarini, Nicola (2021) The EU’s Growing Security Cooperation With South Korea. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/the-eus-growing-security-cooperation-with-south-korea/ 215 Casarini (2021). 216 ESA (2016) European EGNOS technology for South Korea. https://www.esa.int/Applications/Navigation/European_EGNOS_technology_for_South_Korea 217 ESA (2016).

Russia and South Korea have had diplomatic ties since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today, the two countries cooperate on a number of economic, security and space initiatives. South Korea’s first astronaut travelled to the International Space Station onboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. In 2017 South Korea’s CAS500-1 remote sensing satellite was launched from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan along with satellites for several other countries.218 However, Russia-South Korea space cooperation has not always run smoothly. South Korea’s first two launches, which partly relied on Russian technology, failed in 2009 and 2010.219 The second launch exploded shortly into the flight, resulting in the two countries blaming each other for the incident.220

South Korea has strong relations with Australia, with both countries seeking mutual benefits from each other’s growing space sectors. In 2021, South Korea and Australia signed a memorandum of understanding for space cooperation.221 Both countries agreed to improve cooperation in space exploration, launch capabilities and satellite navigation, as well as enhancing their space sectors.222

Defense is likely to remain at the forefront of “

South Korea’s spacerelated R&D ”

F U T U R E

South Korea is increasingly recognizing space as an important strategic domain to enhance its military capabilities and defense systems.223 However, the recent developments in launch capabilities come at a sensitive time on the Korean peninsula, as the North Korean regime has been conducting a number of ballistic missile tests. North Korea has also complained of “double standards” allowing the United States and South Korea to accelerate their weapons development, while denouncing Pyongyang’s missile tests.224

Space-related activities in South Korea, even if they are civilian, are likely to draw concern from North Korea. This dynamic generates the potential for escalation if South Korea takes its space program forward in a way that is perceived as threatening by the North Korean government. Considering the ongoing tensions on the peninsula, defense is likely to remain at the forefront of South Korea’s space-related research and development. Space superiority over its neighbor can be expected to remain a key strategic priority, with defense and space funding showing no sign of slowing down, despite the global pandemic. As such, South Korea is likely to remain a strategic space ally in the region to Western spacefaring countries.

218 Si-soo, Park (2021d) Soyuz launch marks first full-commercial mission of Russia’s GK Launch Services. SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/soyuz-launch-marks-first-full-commercial-mission-of-russias-gk-launch-services/ 219 Phys.org. (2021). 220 Phys.org. (2021). 221 Si-soo, Park (2021e) South Korea, Australia sign MOU on space cooperation. SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/south-koreaaustralia-sign-mou-on-space-cooperation/ 222 Si-soo (2021e) 223 ESPI (2021). 224 Yoon, Dasl and Timothy Martin (2021) South Korea Launches First Homegrown Rocket and Satellite Into Space. Wall Street journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/south-korea-launches-first-homegrown-rocket-and-satellite-into-space-11634815655