Korea's national space agency attends UN conference on lunar activities

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Korea's national space agency attends UN conference on lunar activities

Published: 19 Jun. 2024, 19:25 Updated: 19 Jun. 2024, 19:38

John Lee, deputy administrator in charge of space missions and policies at the Korea AeroSpace Administration [YONHAP]

Korea's national space agency said Wednesday it attended a United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities, marking its first international activity since its opening last month.

John Lee, the deputy administrator in charge of space missions and policies at the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), attended the conference in Vienna, Austria, hosted by the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs on Tuesday to discuss international lunar collaboration and governance, according to the agency.

South Korea was among 13 countries invited to the conference along with the United States, Russia, Germany and China.

At the conference, Lee emphasized the importance of sharing information between nations to successfully conduct lunar exploration missions and disclosing scientific data acquired from the missions to benefit the human race, KASA said.

Lee also hosted a reception celebrating the establishment of KASA on the sidelines of the UN conference as part of efforts to expand the country's network for space cooperation.

"With the establishment of the space agency, South Korea will actively participate in activities to set international standards for sustainable lunar activities," Lee said.

South Korea has been actively involved in lunar exploration, launching a Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter in 2022 and planning to land a space vehicle on the moon in 2032.

Last month, the country opened KASA, its inaugural space agency, in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang, to foster the growth of its space industry.

Yonhap