The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), launched as Korea's answer to "New Space," marks its second anniversary on the 27th. With SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) coming next month, interest in the space industry is greater than ever, but Korea still lags far behind the world's space powers. Jun In-soo, a distinguished professor of aerospace engineering at Seoul National University who led space missions for 25 years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said in an interview with the Seoul Economic Daily on the 25th: "There is no visible mission for why we should go to space." He stressed, "Rather than setting numerical targets, we must first design a 'WOW mission' that the public can resonate with." His point is that before celebrating successful rocket launches as a means, Korea must first define the fundamental purpose of space exploration — why we are going into space.
— What kind of institution is JPL?
JPL is one of NASA's 10 field centers and a research institution leading unmanned space exploration. It began as a research group formed by Caltech professors and students for rocket propulsion experiments. With the outbreak of World War II, it developed rocket technology with U.S. Army budget support, and was incorporated under NASA when the agency was established in 1958. JPL has expanded humanity's space horizons by successfully carrying out projects such as the Mars rovers Curiosity and Perseverance, exoplanet observation telescopes, and deep-space probes like the Voyager spacecraft, made famous by Carl Sagan's "Cosmos."
— How do you assess KASA's first two years?
The establishment of KASA itself is a positive development. I view favorably that it has created a dedicated body to secure agency in space diplomacy and laid foundations such as the transfer of the Nuri rocket to the private sector, satellite launches, and budget increases. The disappointing part is structural problems stemming from the early establishment process. KASA is a mission-oriented institution, but I heard there were organizational conflicts and a leadership vacuum over personnel and budget authority from the outset. The new administrator who took office this year is reportedly making considerable efforts to stabilize the organization.
— What structural problems exist?
Because KASA is an external agency under the Ministry of Science and ICT at the vice-ministerial level, it is difficult to coordinate space-related projects with other ministries such as the Ministry of National Defense, the Korea Meteorological Administration, and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and its decision-making authority is limited. At the time of establishment, many argued it should be placed directly under the Prime Minister or the President to integrate the entire space program. NASA is a ministerial-level agency whose administrator is appointed through congressional confirmation hearings and whose budget is independently allocated. Its scope of decision-making is far broader. To become an institution that draws the blueprint for the entire space sector, KASA needs a status that can secure a much wider perspective than it has now.
— You have often referred to KASA's "mission."
I think the goal of becoming a "top-five space power," which KASA aims for, is somewhat hollow. Such competitive goals have the limitation that once achieved, new ones must be set. I'd like to see something more progressive and forward-looking as a motto. The absence of a motto means the absence of a fundamental philosophy. The biggest difference from NASA is not simply a matter of budget or space economy, but that there is still no national answer to "why we go to space." NASA has the identity of "a science institution exploring the origins of the universe." Its core motto is "For the Benefit of All" — pursuing forward-looking exploration for humanity.
— What is a "WOW mission" that the public can identify with?
In the United States, the term "Awe Factor" is used. It means an element that inspires awe, and since it sounds awkward in Korean, I expressed it as "WOW factor." A WOW mission is one that elicits a "Wow!" reaction the moment you see it. Lunar and Mars mission plans are under way, so we'll have to watch the situation a little longer. But discussion of "why" we are going seems greatly lacking. The main objective seems to be successful launch and landing themselves, but the storytelling about what we want to do after landing is not yet clearly visible.
— What approach would carry out a WOW mission?
Beyond lunar or Mars missions, Korea can conceive creative WOW missions it can lead on its own. One approach is to selectively pick missions that space-faring nations are pursuing or planning but that have been pushed down their budget priorities, tailor them to Korea's technological level, and pursue them quickly. In the long term, I believe Korea should also participate in or directly carry out crewed launch missions that draw global attention, like Artemis II.
— NASA is famous for its "culture of turning failure into an asset."
It takes much effort and time to form and change all of a nation's culture, including organizational culture. KASA has reached its second anniversary, but it is still in its early days. Now is the right time to put in place systems that allow people not to fear failure when taking bold challenges. The causes of failure must be thoroughly identified and used as a foundation for the next attempt. Institutional support stipulating that good-faith technical failures will not be punished must be codified. There also needs to be a culture and system in which minority opinions from the field reach the top.
— Many point out that Korea's space development is preoccupied solely with the achievement of launching rockets and satellites.
In a space mission, launch or satellite development is a means. Whether it's the Europa Clipper mission or the Curiosity mission, the purpose — a scientific question — is decided first, and then the payload, satellite, and launch vehicle are determined in that order. The approach of "We're going to launch Nuri in a year, so what payload should we put on it?" has no purpose, so problems arise in payload selection criteria, and the development schedule ends up being dragged along by the launch date. The biggest reason a top-down approach has not taken root in Korea's reality is a structural problem in mindset. When a scientist says, "We must explore the possibility of life on Europa," policymakers ask back, "How does that help the economy?" We must squarely face the example of how NASA's science missions and crewed exploration created enormous markets such as GPS, memory foam, and water filters.
— SpaceX is pursuing a Nasdaq listing in June. What are the implications for Korea's space ecosystem?
The SpaceX listing will have a profound impact on the space economy agenda not only of Korea but of many countries. With first-mover mega-corporations like SpaceX and Blue Origin already dominating the launch and data markets, Korea must find areas where it particularly excels. However, an approach that tries to create the market for a certain technology first puts the cart before the horse. The correct order is to first develop the technology required to carry out missions, and then form a market that needs that technology. Having semiconductor companies like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix gives Korea a great opportunity to occupy a unique position in the space semiconductor field. The space radiation measurement payload technology and semiconductor durability verification capabilities accumulated through cube satellite (K-RadCube) development are also needed by many missions.
— Under Donald Trump's second term, NASA and JPL budgets have been sharply cut.
Now is precisely the time for Korea to select missions the U.S. wants to do but cannot due to budget shortfalls, tailor them to its situation, and push ahead. The cuts to NASA's space science budget under the second Trump administration are indeed serious. There are missions whose scientific value has been amply verified but which have been pushed down political and economic priorities. The L4 mission and Mars science missions are good examples, as are Venus and asteroid missions. While reducing dependence on the U.S., Korea should diversify its cooperation network with the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and others. Europe is also reportedly considering how to fill the U.S. void, which is a good opportunity for Korea to enter that discussion.
— What is the cooperation strategy for Korea to quickly enter the international space stage?
First, a strategy of inducing NASA or ESA participation through missions in which Korea plays a leading role is effective. Through such missions, Korea can nurture scientists and engineers who can work alongside international mission teams at the working level. Another way is to develop the world's best payloads or space technologies so that other countries come to Korea first. Trust matters in international relations. Trust is built through relationships that keep promises based on competence.
— The government has set a goal of joining the top five space powers by 2045.
I don't think setting goals by numbers is an appropriate approach. The mission The correct sequence is to create missions, develop technology and talent through them, and have that technology form the foundation of an industry that shapes the market. Achieving the government's stated goals requires a culture that allows deep questions and a culture that can wait. Rather than quantitative targets such as "we launched X times" or "we became the world's fifth space power," KASA's job is to lay the groundwork so that various Korean institutions can successfully carry out missions that pose questions and answer them.
— What do you emphasize to the students you meet in the classroom?
△Whether they are engineering or science majors, I hope they become talents capable of drawing the big picture of space. The habit of asking "what and why" before "how" is important. In the United States, students have many opportunities to directly participate in NASA's major missions through Co-Op programs or internships. The Curiosity rover mission alone produced 20 to 30 students who earned Ph.D.s through it. Ten years from now, I hope data generated by Korean-led missions will appear in papers cited by scientists around the world. I hope we have missions where discovery news, not launch news, takes center stage.
He is…
Born in Incheon in 1963, he graduated from Incheon High School. While studying nuclear engineering at Seoul National University, he immigrated to the United States, graduated from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a degree in nuclear engineering, and earned his master's and doctoral degrees in nuclear fusion at UCLA. Starting his career at Hughes Space and Communications, he served from 2000 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as a space environment specialist, head of the Space Environment Group, and director of the Space Radiation Research Center. He collaborated on the L4 exploration project, Korea's first deep-space probe project, and directly participated in major space exploration missions including Psyche, Curiosity, and Europa Clipper. He received NASA's Exceptional Service Medal in 2018 and JPL's Magellan Award in 2023. He has served as a distinguished professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Seoul National University since March 2026.
