The view of the temporary building of the Korea Aerospace Administration located in Sacheon, Gyeongnam./Courtesy of News1

Researchers at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) have demanded the transfer of the space agency to Sejong.

The Korea Science and Technology Union KARI branch urged on the 17th for the immediate repeal of the unreasonable "Special Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Space Agency," which is tied to regional selfishness.

Seon Cheon-ho, a lawmaker from the People Power Party representing the regions of Sacheon, Namhae, and Hadong, proposed an amendment to the space agency's special law, asserting that KARI and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute located in Daejeon should be transferred to Sacheon, where the space agency is located. In response, the KARI union issued a statement bluntly suggesting to instead move the space agency to Sejong.

The KARI union noted, "Even the employees at the space agency and those in the aerospace industry point out that the current location of the space agency in Sacheon undermines its competitiveness and reduces work efficiency," adding that, "While the time taken to commute to and from the agency is an issue, the majority of applicants for hiring senior researchers at the grade 5 level are either recent university graduates or individuals approaching retirement, indicating difficulties in attracting experts."

They emphasized, "The headquarters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is in Washington, Russia's Roscosmos is in Moscow, China's China National Space Administration is in Beijing, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is also located in a satellite city right next to Tokyo," stating that "most are positioned in capitals or major international cities, which is the global standard."

The KARI union criticized, "While the proposal claims to model it after Toulouse, France's fourth-largest city, it is deceptive to compare Sacheon even to cities like Incheon, Daegu, or Daejeon. If a global aerospace complex city is to be established at a city level of Toulouse, it should undoubtedly be constructed in Daejeon or the nearby area, which is entirely common sense."

The KARI union urged, "The space agency should be upgraded to the Space Ministry and should be located in Sejong, which is near Daejeon, the fifth-largest city in Korea where KARI and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute are situated."