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Joint Statement on the ROK-U.S. Space Industry Symposium

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Today, at the conclusion of the ROK-U.S. Space Industry Symposium, the Republic of Korea and the United States issued the following joint statement.

The Governments of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States of America (U.S.) held the ROK-U.S. Space Industry Symposium on November 8, 2023, in Seoul, Korea, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. alliance. The Symposium was held to promote exchanges between space companies of the two countries and discuss cooperation measures as a follow-up to commitments made at the 3rd U.S.-ROK Civil Space Dialogue in December 15-16, 2022, and in the “United States-Republic of Korea Leaders’ Joint Statement” issued by heads of the two Governments on April 26, 2023.

The ROK-U.S. Space Industry Symposium, hosted by the ROK Ministry of Science and ICT and co-organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce, took place immediately after the ROK-U.S. Space Forum, hosted by the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Space Forum highlighted a broad range of civil, commercial, and security space applications where bilateral cooperation is strengthening ties between the two countries. The Symposium complemented the Space Forum by focusing in on ROK-U.S. business partnerships involving space and identifying opportunities to enhance them.

The Industry Symposium featured opening remarks by Jong-ho Lee, ROK Minister of Science and ICT; Chirag Parikh, Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary, U.S. National Space Council; and Michael C. Morgan, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation and Prediction, U.S. Department of Commerce.

To set a common baseline of knowledge, the two sides shared their respective space policies for promoting commercial space activity and international partnerships. The U.S. Department of Commerce, Department of Transportation, and Department of Defense presented the latest U.S. policies, regulations, and plans in the space sector, while the ROK Ministry of Science and ICT introduced Korea’s policies for space industry promotion, and the Preparatory Office for the Korea AeroSpace Administration elaborated the government’s plan to establish the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA).

This was followed by panel discussions with presentations and recommendations from space companies of both sides. The sessions covered a wide range of issues, including (1) Partnerships to Support Government Space Programs, (2) Government Program Structures to Support Partnerships, (3) Partnerships for Supply Chain Resilience, (4) Partnerships to Enable Commercial LEO Destinations and Lunar Exploration.

Through the Symposium, the two sides enhanced their understanding of each other’s space industry policies and plans, and identified common goals for the development of their space industries. The two sides concluded that future ROK-U.S. cooperation on commercial space activity is desirable for space companies of both countries to explore new markets and find breakthroughs for their growth. The Symposium was significant in that dozens of space companies from both sides directly participated in discussions of commercial cooperation between the two countries.

The Symposium reaffirmed the close cooperation between the ROK and the United States in space, which contributes to the peaceful development of the Indo-Pacific region and promotes global economic growth. In this regard, both governments will take steps to actively promote cooperation between their respective space industries, based on the recommendations received at the Symposium. Deliverables and outcomes will be briefed to government leadership during the 4th U.S.-ROK Civil Space Dialogue, to be held in Washington in 2024.