Representatives of startups leading the future of Korea's space industry have requested practical support and deregulation from the government and leading corporations. They unanimously expressed the urgency of expanding opportunities for space experiments, utilizing global networks, and improving systems for technology verification and overseas expansion.
At the 'International Space Summit (ISS) 2025' held on the 5th at the Daejeon Convention Center, Kim Jeong-hoon, CEO of SpaceBeam, noted, "Technology verification targeting space imposes a significant time and expense burden on early-stage startups," adding, "It is not desirable for the government to support only specific corporations, but it is crucial to drastically increase opportunities for startups with ideas to test in a space environment so that the market can grow. Institutions like the Korea Aerospace Administration should focus on this aspect."
Lee Gi-joo, CEO of Intergravity Technologies, which is creating Korea's first private orbital transport vehicle, also stated, "Just as the government provided CubeSat launch opportunities through the Nuri rocket, a variety of verification opportunities are needed for the orbital vehicle as well," adding, "If technology is verified in a space environment and its history is linked to marketing and global networks, it could lead to the discovery of new markets."
Opinions were also raised that support for promotion and global expansion is necessary. Lee Seong-mun, CEO of Space Robotics, highlighted, "Like the case where the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) set up a dedicated space to introduce domestic startups and enhance their credibility at a recent conference in Canada, I hope opportunities for overseas exhibition support and credibility establishment will be expanded further."
Yoon Seong-cheol, CEO of Specs, shared the difficulties encountered in the process of hiring foreign researchers and demanded improvements in talent acquisition and regulations. He suggested, "The regulation that prevents hiring foreigners if the number of employees is fewer than 10 does not fit the space sector," asserting, "As there is a shortage of domestic personnel, regulations should be relaxed to utilize overseas researchers as industrial workforce."
Lee Seong-hee, chair of CONTACT Space Group, who moderated the panel discussion that day, also agreed on the necessity of deregulation. He remarked, "Considering the regulations abroad, I feel that Korea and Japan are excessively conservative in this regard," adding, "Overseas institutions such as the European Space Agency (ESA) or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recognize research and development projects won by corporations as revenue, while Korea does not, which negatively impacts competitiveness and should be taken into account."