President Yoon nominates Professor Youngbin Yoon of Seoul National University as the first head of the Space Agency.

President Yoon Seok-yeol nominated Yoon Young-bin, a professor of aerospace engineering at Seoul National University, as the first director of the Korea Aerospace Administration, John Lee, former head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as the first-level head of the Aerospace Mission Headquarters, and Noh Gyeong-won, head of the Research and Development Policy Office of the Ministry of Science and ICT, as deputy director of the Space Administration. .

Presidential Policy Director Seong Tae-yoon announced the appointment of high-ranking officials at the Aerospace Administration, which will be launched on the 27th of next month, at a briefing in the Yongsan Presidential Office this afternoon.

Regarding Yoon Young-bin, the first director of the Korea Aerospace Administration, Director Seong said, “He has been a professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Seoul National University since 1996 and has led the Rocket Propulsion Research Laboratory,” and added, “He has been conducting research on liquid rockets and gas turbine engines for over 40 years, developing Naroho and the Korean model. He introduced himself as Korea’s leading researcher in the field of space propulsion, who has contributed to the successful promotion of launch vehicle development, lunar exploration, and phase 1 projects.”

John Lee, the head of the Aerospace Mission Division, was described as “a space expert who started working at NASA in 1992 and has managed NASA’s major space programs for 29 years.”

Regarding Deputy Director Noh Kyung-won, “He has played a midwife role in the launch of the Korea Aerospace Administration,” and “He is a top expert with both an understanding of technology and administrative expertise.”

He explained, “The designation of the head of the Research and Development Policy Office as the deputy director of the Korea Aerospace Administration is to enable the space agency to get on a stable track early.”

Director Seong said that while conducting this appointment, President Yoon asked, “As the industry’s top experts have been appointed to key positions, please make thorough preparations so that the Korea Aerospace Administration can be launched successfully and lead our country’s aerospace industry well.”