Employees of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute line up for coffee from food trucks that President Yoon Suk-yeol sent to the state-run space research institute in Daejeon, Wednesday. Yonhap

KARI researchers envy Hanwha Aerospace employees

By Park Jae-hyuk

A slice of pizza and a cup of coffee were all that the researchers of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) received from President Yoon Suk-yeol in compensation for their successful launch of Korea's first domestically developed space rocket, according to the state-run space research institute's employees, Thursday.

The researchers even had to wait in a long line amid the scorching heatwave (35 degrees Celsius) to receive the president's "surprise gift" on a first-come-first-served basis.

Against the expectations of the presidential office that proudly announced Yoon's visit to the institute in Daejeon on Wednesday to encourage researchers there, the president appears to have frustrated the researchers further, curtailing their enthusiasm for Korea's mission to become a powerhouse in the space industry.

KARI researchers pointed out the fact that their peers at Hanwha Aerospace had received bonuses and vacations from Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn as rewards for their participation in the developments of the Nuri launch vehicle.

Earlier this month, Hanwha said that the chairman expressed his gratitude to some 80 staff members for their dedication to the development of the space rocket, sending a congratulatory message to them.

On the contrary, the state-run institute has been forced to hand over its technologies to the private sector for free, even though the transfer of its technologies can generate huge revenue that could be distributed to its researchers in compensation for their work, according to KARI employees.

They have already voiced their concerns over their poor labor conditions, citing that a new employee with a Ph.D. is paid only 50 million won ($38,000) in annual salary, contrasting with higher salaries in the private sector. They have also complained about insufficient reimbursement of their business travel expenses.

"Researchers in the field have been praised by the public for their achievements, but they are agonizing about whether to leave or stay," the KARI union said in a statement last month, asking for a meeting with the Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho.

President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with an employee of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, during his visit to the state-run space research institute, Wednesday. Yonhap

Yoon and the science minister, however, did not reportedly discuss this issue during a closed-door meeting with the institute's researchers.

In addition, Yoon emphasized once again that the government will establish the Korean version of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), arousing concerns among KARI employees about the possible relocation of their workplace from Daejeon to more remote regions, such as Sacheon in South Gyeongsang Province or Goheung in South Jeolla Province.

The president promised in his election pledge that the aerospace agency will be located in Sacheon. There is also a rumor that a team from KARI who is in charge of developing launch vehicles will be moved to Goheung, where the Naro Space Center is located.

"There is no country placing the headquarters of its space agency in the countryside," a KARI employee wrote on Blind, an anonymous chat app for verified employees.