After Nuri (KSLV-II)’s successful launch, ruling-party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo says, “A Space Command must be established”

[Financial News] Kim Byung-joo, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, stressed on the 8th the need to establish a Space Command. With the successful fifth launch of Nuri (KSLV-II) accelerating South Korea’s push into space, the armed forces urgently need a dedicated organization to prepare for it, he argued.
At a parliamentary audit of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other bodies held at the Ministry of National Defense that day, Rep. Kim cited the successful fifth launch of Nuri (KSLV-II), saying, “The Lee Jae-myung administration has thrown open the doors to the space age.” He added, “Our military, too, must establish a Space Command. More than a decade has already passed, yet we still haven’t been able to establish one.”
“While serving as commander of the Missile Command in 2014, I believed we should bring the space age closer,” he said. “Since ballistic missiles operate on the same principle as space launch vehicles, I said the military should take the lead, with the Missile Command at its center, to bring the space age closer.”
In fact, when Rep. Song Young-gil was party leader, Kim proposed forming the party’s “Space, Aerospace and Defense Industry Task Force” and personally served as its head. While leading the task force, he also proposed elevating the status of the National Space Committee under the Ministry of Science and ICT and establishing a space agency.
Rep. Kim said, “I think some of these proposals have been reflected,” and urged the military to accelerate its preparations for the space age as well.
Jin Young-seung, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded to Rep. Kim’s call, saying, “We recognize the need and are preparing,” and adding, “We will proceed in stages. A Space Command is also strategically necessary.”
Rep. Kim reiterated, “With Nuri (KSLV-II)’s success, the Republic of Korea has reached the threshold of becoming a space power. Now is the time to establish a military framework to protect that space. We must no longer delay establishing a Space Command to safeguard our space sovereignty.”
[email protected] Kim Hyeong-gu Reporter