Yoon, Harris agree to strengthen ‘space alliance’ in visit to NASA center

Politics

Published: 26 Apr. 2023, 08:18 Updated: 26 Apr. 2023, 18:36

Yoon, Harris agree to strengthen ‘space alliance’ in visit to NASA center

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris tour NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center on Tuesday in Greenbelt, Maryland. [AFP/YONHAP]

WASHINGTON – President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris agreed to work toward strengthening a "space alliance" between Korea and the United States during a visit to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland Tuesday.

"We renew our commitment to strengthen our cooperation in the next frontier of our expanding alliance, and of course that is space," said Harris in a joint press conference alongside Yoon.

"Space presents undiscovered and unrealized opportunities for our nations and for the entire world. Our task is to work together to guide humanity forward safely, sustainably and peacefully into this new frontier. In this mission, the United States is very proud to work with South Korea."

Harris added that the two countries are "establishing international rules and norms on the peaceful and responsible use of space."

NASA and the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT signed a joint statement on cooperation in outer space exploration that will solidify partnerships around space communications, navigation and research on the moon.

Yoon said in the press conference that the joint statement "will serve as a springboard for taking space cooperation between our two allies to the next level of a space alliance."

This comes as Yoon is working to establish the Korean version of NASA, or the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA).

He added that cooperation with the new KASA and NASA will "be the driving force behind forging a strong space alliance."

"The universe has immense potential not only for bringing economic prosperity to mankind but for offering breakthroughs in our efforts to cope with climate change and other global challenges," Yoon said. "I've always believed that mankind's future lies in space."

He shared his vision to put Korea on the space economy roadmap which aims to put the country in the top five world leaders in space technology by reaching the moon by 2023 and Mars by 2045.

Yoon said that growing bilateral collaboration in this field "will enable us to play a leading role in ensuring the benefits of space exploration are shared by all people."

Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee arrived in the United States for a weeklong state visit Monday afternoon to hold a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and mark the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance. They were accompanied by a 122-strong business delegation including the leaders of Korea's top conglomerates.

Yoon and Kim stayed at the Blair House, the presidential guest house across the street from the White House, as Biden's second state guests since French President Emmanuel Macron and his first lady.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, front, inspects an honor guard as he visits Arlington National Cemetery near Washington with first lady Kim Keon-hee Tuesday morning. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

On Tuesday morning, Yoon and Kim visited Arlington National Cemetery near Washington and paid respects to American service members buried there. They were accompanied by Foreign Minister Park Jin, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-shik, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg and other State Department officials.

A 90-member honor guard fired a 21-gun salute during the visit. A military band also welcomed the presidential couple.

Yoon laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and visited an exhibition room.

He presented a commemorative plaque honoring the American service personnel who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War.

The plaque, made of mother-of-pearl, is emblazoned with the two countries' flags, the official logo marking the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance and the sentence, "We will never forget, forgotten no more."

Yoon honored the "American soldiers who devoted themselves to freedom and peace on behalf of the people of the Republic of Korea," according to presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon.
Later, Yoon attended a business roundtable attended by executives from Korea top companies including Samsung, SK, Hyundai, LG and Lotte as well as Qualcomm, Lam Research, Boeing, Moderna, GM, IBM, Google and Tesla to discuss cooperation in future advanced industries such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries, artificial intelligence and bio.

On Tuesday, six U.S. companies announced plans to invest $1.9 billion in Korea in the areas of hydrogen fuel, semiconductors and green industries.

The companies are Air Products, Plug Power, On Semiconductor, Greene Tweed, PureCycle Technologies and EMP Belstar.

This comes after Netflix announced plans to invest $2.5 billion in Korean content over the next four years in a meeting between the company's co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Yoon Monday.

Yoon also took part in a Korea-U.S. business forum Tuesday focused on the cooperation between the two countries' advanced industries.

"I hope that this visit to the United States will reaffirm that our two countries are a high-tech alliance in name and reality, and that entrepreneurs will also be able to create new and innovative business opportunities," said Yoon at the forum, stressing that the allies share core values and are closely connected economically, which make them ideal for building a supply chain partnership.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, presents the Taegeuk Order of Military Merit to American servicemen during a luncheon celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Korea-U.S. alliance at a hotel in Washington Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Later that day, Yoon hosted a luncheon under the theme of "Alliance in Action Towards the Future" and awarded medals to three American servicemen who fought for South Korea in the Korean War.

Retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett, retired Navy Capt. Elmer Royce Williams and late Marine Corps First Lt. Baldomero Lopez were awarded the Taegeuk Order of Military Merit, the highest decoration for military bravery.

This was the first time a Korean president will bestow a military order outside of the country.

The event was attended by some 300 key figures from Korea and the United States, including Joseph McChristian Jr., a grandson of Gen. James Alward Vanas Fleet, commander of the U.S. 8th Army from 1951-53, and Paik Nam-hee, eldest daughter of Gen. Paik Sun-yup, commander of the Korean Army's 1st Division and a Korean War hero.

On Tuesday evening, Yoon, Biden and their first ladies were set to visit the Korean War Memorial in their first official meeting.

On Wednesday, Yoon will be received in an official arrival ceremony at the White House and the two leaders will hold their bilateral summit, followed by a joint press conference. They will be joined by the first ladies in a lavish state dinner, which will include a Korean-American chef and performances by Broadway stars.

On Tuesday, Biden and Harris formally announced they would seek a second term in 2024.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]