Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn / Courtesy of Hanwha Group

By Kim Jae-heun

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn recently sent a congratulatory message to some 80 staff who took part in the development of Nuri, the Korean Space Launch Vehicle, the company said, Sunday.

"Congratulations on the successful launch of Nuri on June 21. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the development of the space rocket," Kim said in the message.

"Looking at the launch of the Nuri rocket, which shot up into the sky at the exact time planned, I instantly thought of how much effort you guys have put into this project in the last decade. You started from scratch and turned the impossible into the possible. Let's move forward to realize a bigger dream now," Kim added.

Along with the letter, the chairman also reportedly paid bonuses to engineers and researchers.

One of the researchers at Hanwha Aerospace replied to Kim on behalf of his colleagues: "We went through hard times developing the Nuri rocket with limited time, but after receiving a congratulatory message from Kim, we feel that our past efforts paid off."

Kim has been showing his passion and interest in the space project for the past 10 years. He has been providing funds and support in the hope of making the launch of Nuri successful.

About 500 Korea Aerospace Research Institute researchers and 300 domestic companies, including Hanwha Aerospace, contributed to building the engine of the three-stage rocket.

Even in his New Year's address this year, Kim stressed the importance of Korea's space project.

"For future business like the aerospace project, we have to work with confidence and a goal to build it as a core business in a short period of time," Kim said.