On the 27th, the Korean government's representative brand in science and technology, the Korea Aerospace Administration, marks its one-year anniversary. The Korea Aerospace Administration aims to be a 'Korean version of NASA' and has differentiated itself from existing government organizations in various ways. It has enhanced flexibility in organizational structure and talent acquisition, eliminated restrictions on the ratio of term-limited civil servants, and actively recruited private experts.
Vice Administrator Noh Kyung-won, who laid out the framework for the space agency, vowed to create a civil servant organization that operates like a startup. A startup and civil servants might have seemed like an unlikely pairing, much like a 'warm iced Americano.' A private space expert noted, 'It's still too early to evaluate since it's only been one year,' but also remarked, 'So far, it's hard to see the synergy between the civil servant organization and private experts.'
◇Internal 'disagreement' over additional launch of Nuri rocket
The Korea Aerospace Administration consists of two main organizations. First, there is the general civil servant organization under Vice Administrator Noh Kyung-won, which was transitioned from the Ministry of Science and ICT. This includes the Director General for Planning and Coordination, the Aerospace Policy Bureau, and the Aerospace Industry Bureau, all responsible for the internal operations of the space agency. Most members moved to the Korea Aerospace Administration from space-related ministries such as the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Aerospace Mission Bureau, led by Deputy Minister John Lee, who is a former NASA official, is primarily a private expert-centered organization that directs aerospace-related research and development. The ratio of master's and doctoral degree holders in the Mission Bureau reaches 80%, compared to just 15.7% across all government ministries.
The Mission Bureau selected its private experts as term-limited civil servants. While the term is capped at '5+5 years' for a maximum of 10 years, salaries were increased to attract private experts. The annual salary for a senior researcher ( level 5) reaches between 80 million to 110 million won. Though it is lower than in private corporations, this is a remarkable treatment within the civil servant organization. Deputy Minister John Lee's annual salary is 250 million won, comparable to that of the president.
The Korea Aerospace Administration presented a blueprint in which civil servants and private experts complement each other's shortcomings to create synergy. Initially, it was understandable that time was needed as the organization was still establishing itself. However, even after a year, with over 95% of positions filled, insiders and outsiders have been finding it hard to spot synergy between the civil servant organization and private experts.
A typical example of this is the internal disagreement surrounding the additional launches of the Korean launch vehicle Nuri. Currently, six launches of Nuri are planned. Hanwha Aerospace, which is receiving the Nuri technology, and small to medium-sized corporations supplying parts and equipment for Nuri are requesting the Korea Aerospace Administration to finalize the additional launch plans to maintain the aerospace industry ecosystem.
The Korea Aerospace Administration was hesitant to finalize the additional launch plans without secured satellite demand. However, the situation changed recently when the Ministry of National Defense proposed to include defense satellites during the additional launch of Nuri. This would provide a justification for the seventh launch of Nuri with two defense satellites as the primary payload.
The Aerospace Industry Bureau suggested at a recent internal meeting of the Korea Aerospace Administration to proceed with the additional launch using its own budget. However, the Mission Bureau stated that given they have already decided to transfer technology to Hanwha Aerospace, it would be difficult to use the Korea Aerospace Administration's budget for the additional launch.
A representative from the Mission Bureau said, 'If there is a demand for satellite launches, we need to formally sign a launch vehicle contract and proceed. We cannot approach it by saying, 'We will support the launch by using the Korea Aerospace Administration's budget' just because it's a defense launch.' He added, 'If we utilize the Korea Aerospace Administration's budget for the additional launch of Nuri, funds must be adjusted for other projects within the agency,' and stressed that the issue isn't opposition to the additional launch itself but the need to first resolve aspects such as the nature of the launch and technology transfer.
In the aerospace industry, opinions suggest that the disagreement between the Aerospace Industry Bureau and the Mission Bureau over the additional launch of Nuri arises from inherent differences between the civil servant organization and the private expert organization. As these disagreements have been repeated across various projects, they have stalled the progress of the Korea Aerospace Administration's operations and diminished work efficiency. The perspective outside the Korea Aerospace Administration is that confirming additional launch plans shouldn't take several months.
A private space expert remarked, 'It seems there are aspects in the Mission Bureau where a political judgment is necessary, but they appear hesitant,' and added, 'Many civil servants do not fully grasp the position of the Mission Bureau, leading to more friction than synergy.'
In response, a representative from the Mission Bureau explained, 'There were opinions within the civil service that using the Korea Aerospace Administration's budget for additional launches is inappropriate,' emphasizing that it was not just the Mission Bureau's perspective but the overarching opinion across the agency. Conversely, a different official from the Korea Aerospace Administration stated, 'It is true that the sudden proposal of this agenda made it difficult to agree to use the Korea Aerospace Administration's budget, but it is equally hard to agree with the Mission Bureau's position that the additional launch of Nuri has diminished R&D value.'
◇Simple tasks remain immature…'Expectations have turned to disappointments'
The aerospace industry, which had been waiting for the launch of the Korea Aerospace Administration, has experienced expectations turning into disappointments over the past year. An executive responsible for public relations at a space startup said, 'Over the past few months, we've gone through tremendous ups and downs in the process of transferring aerospace-related R&D projects from the National Research Foundation of Korea to the Korea Aerospace Administration,' adding, 'Since most staff have never managed a government project before, there have been significant inconveniences right from basic administrative handling.'
This representative expressed, 'Now I have started to doubt whether the various blueprints proposed by the Korea Aerospace Administration will actually be realized,' and added, 'Seeing the difficulties in negotiating with the Ministry of Economy and Finance or other government ministries to secure funding during this budget season was surprising.'
The Korea Aerospace Administration is also concerned about enhancing work efficiency. It is reviewing restoring provisions for dismissal that have become obsolete within previous government organizations. As it aims to resemble a startup in its civil servant organization, it plans to clarify accountability. Vice Administrator Noh Kyung-won mentioned, 'While we did not apply the dismissal regulations in the first year after the establishment of the Korea Aerospace Administration last year, now that the organization is established, we are considering applying the dismissal regulations in the year-end evaluation.'
An executive from a space corporation pointed out that while the Korea Aerospace Administration emphasizes communication with the industry, it seems more urgent to improve communication within the agency. This executive remarked, 'Some civil servants within the Korea Aerospace Administration refer to private experts as 'term-limited' and treat them as people who will leave in a few years,' stating, 'Resolving the conflicts between Vice Administrator and those under the Mission Bureau is necessary for proper communication with the outside world.'