Korea's Nuri space rocket is transported to a launch pad at Naro Space Center in Goheung, 470 kilometers south of Seoul, June 15. Courtesy of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute

Preparations to launch Korea's locally developed Nuri space rocket were delayed at Naro Space Center, Wednesday, due to a technical problem with the launch pad, according to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).

Nuri, also known as the KSLV-II (Korea Space Launch Vehicle), was transported from the assembly building to the launch pad at the state-run space center operated by KARI in Goheung, a southern coastal village 470 kilometers south of Seoul, ahead of Thursday's scheduled launch.

KARI officials, however, later paused launch preparations after discovering an unexpected problem with the launch pad. The institute also canceled a press briefing in the afternoon.

The launch schedule could potentially be delayed again if the problem is not fixed within the day. The launch was originally set to take place Wednesday was delayed due to strong winds.

Korea's Nuri space rocket is raised into position at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, 470 kilometers south of Seoul, June 15. Yonhap

In its first attempt in October, Nuri successfully flew to a target altitude of 700 kilometers but failed to put a dummy satellite into orbit, as its third-stage engine burned out earlier than expected.

Nuri this time will be loaded with a 162.5-kilogram performance verification satellite to test the rocket's capabilities and four cube satellites developed by four universities for academic research purposes, along with a 1.3-ton dummy satellite.

Korea has invested nearly 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion) in building Nuri since 2010. The project was carried out within the country using domestically developed technology, including design, production, testing and launch operations.

The country plans to conduct four additional Nuri rocket launches by 2027 to further advance the country's space program. (Yonhap)