SNU professor tapped to head new space agency

[Graphics by Song Ji-yoon and Lee Eun-joo]

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol named Seoul National University professor of aerospace engineering Yoon Young-bin as the inaugural head of Korea AeroSpace Administration (KAA), the country’s new space agency that will launch on May 27th, 2024.

“Yoon Young-bin has researched liquid rockets and gas turbine engines among other subjects for 40 years, and contributed to the success of projects such as developing the Naro Space Launch Vehicle and Korean launch vehicles as well as the first phase of lunar exploration,” Sung Tae-yoon, director of national policy at the presidential office, said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

Yoon is an engineer who has been researching rocket propulsion. He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in aerospace engineering in 1985 and obtained his master’s degree in the same field in 1987. He then went to the United States, where he earned his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan in 1994. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis before assuming a professorship at Seoul National University in 1998, where he has worked since.

Yoon was advocating for the reuse of space launch vehicles even before SpaceX emerged. He was also involved in developing key technologies for liquid methane-fueled engines that aimed to increase the reusability of rocket engines.

Considering that the space agency is expected to prioritize the development of reusable launch vehicles, this aspect likely influenced the agency’s choice of Yoon as its director, sources said.

“Yoon has been involved in many government projects related to space development,” an insider from the scientific community said. “He is not known for being vocal or aggressive, on the contrary he is a quiet and gentle researcher.”

During the Wednesday briefing, Yoon noted that “the KAA has been a long-cherished dream for aerospace professionals” and that he will “strive to lead the agency efficiently to enrich the lives of the people through space development and provide dreams and hopes to future generations.”

[Graphics by Song Ji-yoon and Lee Eun-joo]

John Lee, former senior executive at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has been nominated as the new agency’s deputy administrator.

A second-generation immigrant, Lee majored in biology at UC San Diego at the age of 10 and obtained a master’s degree in public administration and policy from Carnegie Mellon University. He began working at NASA in 1992 and had been employed there for 29 years, managing major space programs.

Rho Kyung-won, a senior official at the Ministry of Science and ICT, was nominated as deputy chief of the space agency.

Rho, a graduate of the Department of Electronic Engineering at Seoul National University, earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from UC Davis. He played a part in the successful launch of Naro, the first Korean launch vehicle, in 2013 and held various government positions.

With the appointment of key personnel now complete, KAA will open its doors on May 27th. A total of 293 people will staff the agency, out of which 110 will start their jobs at its opening.