Korea, Saudi Arabia eye deeper space ties as commercial interests align

Korea AeroSpace Administration Administrator Oh Tae-seok, right, shakes hands with Haitham AlOhali, governor of Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission and a board member of the Saudi Space Agency, at Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Korea Aerospace Administration

Korea moved to deepen its space partnership with Saudi Arabia Thursday, as officials from the two countries explored ways to expand cooperation in education, technology and commercial space development.

Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) Administrator Oh Tae-seok met with Haitham AlOhali, governor of Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission and a board member of the Saudi Space Agency, at the Government Complex Seoul, according to the agency.

The meeting focused on reviewing ongoing cooperation and identifying practical opportunities to strengthen bilateral partnerships as both countries pursue growth in the global space economy.

A key topic was a space education program jointly organized by KASA and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology for Saudi university students.

The three-week summer program is scheduled to run from July 27 through Aug. 14 and is intended to help foster the next generation of space professionals while strengthening long-term networks between the two countries, the agency said.

The officials also discussed expanding broader cooperation beyond education, with an emphasis on creating new opportunities for industry.

Oh said Saudi Arabia's growing investment in space industries under its Vision 2030 strategy presents new opportunities for Korean companies with advanced technologies.

He said closer government-to-government cooperation could help Korean space companies establish business ties and enter Saudi Arabia's emerging space market more smoothly.

The discussions also highlighted the importance of building practical partnerships that support commercial collaboration alongside government cooperation, the agency said.

Oh said KASA would continue broadening space cooperation with Saudi Arabia while reinforcing bilateral partnerships.

He said the agency would actively support Korean space companies seeking to expand overseas and achieve tangible results in the Middle East by building on government cooperation.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.