Heroes behind successful launch of Nuri space rocket offer to resign
Ko Jeong-hwan, head of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Korea Space Launch Vehicle II R&D directorate / Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han
By Park Jae-hyuk
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute's (KARI) recent organizational reform plan has prompted its senior researchers to offer to resign. These are the very same researchers who played major roles in the development of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle II (KSLV-II), or the Nuri, the nation's first homegrown space rocket launched successfully in June.
According to the state-run space research institute, Friday, KARI principal researcher Ko Jeong-hwan, head of the KSLV-II R&D directorate, and his five colleagues, offered to resign, after Monday's announcement of the institute's plan to streamline its organizational structure.
The KARI plans to set up the launch vehicle research institute, which will supervise the KSLV advancement program office, which is in charge of additional launches of the Nuri, the next-generation launch vehicle program office in charge of developing the 100-ton liquid-propellant rocket engine and the small launch vehicle research team.
The KSLV-II R&D directorate will be disbanded in June of next year.
Ko claims that the organizational reform plan will lead the directorate, which currently has more than 250 workers, to have only five staff under one leader.
“Through the organizational reform plan, KARI virtually disbanded the R&D team under the directorate,” he said in a letter sent to the Ministry of Science and ICT, which supervises the institute.
Ko also emphasized that the reform will inhibit the third launch of the Nuri and the transfer of KARI's technology to the private sector. This possible exodus of researchers has therefore caused concerns over a possible setback to Korea's plan for space exploration.
Based on the successful launches of the Nuri and the domestically developed Danuri lunar orbiter, Korea has sought to become one of the space powerhouses. The government will also open the space agency, thereby emulating the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration next year, tasked with directing the nation's overall space policies.
The KARI explained that its planned organizational reform is intended for its transformation into an integrated research institute for next-generation launch vehicle projects.
The institute dismissed the speculation that its reform plan is a follow-up measure to comply with the government's innovation guidelines urging public institutions to enhance productivity and efficiency.
“After the organizational reform, the number of launch vehicle researchers will go up slightly,” a KARI official said in a press release.
Amid the controversy, the science ministry is said to have met with Ko and KARI President Lee Sang-ryool on Wednesday. However, the ministry failed to bring them to an agreement.