Science communicator Gwedo speaks at the Hanwha Space Conference "Space, with us," held Saturday at Cube Convention Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Hanwha] Science communicator Gwedo speaks at the Hanwha Space Conference “Space, with us,” held Saturday at Cube Convention Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Hanwha]

Hanwha Group hosted the “Hanwha Space Conference: Space, with us” on Saturday at Cube Convention Center in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, the company announced Sunday.

The event featured a relay of speakers including science communicator Gwedo, Jeon Eun-ji, a professor of aerospace engineering at KAIST, space analyst Jeong Eui-hun, author Jo Seung-yeon and astronomer Ji Ung-bae, who explored the meaning and future of space exploration.

The speakers agreed that the global space industry is shifting from government-led to private-sector-driven development, and that South Korea needs its own equivalent of SpaceX to represent the country on the world stage.

Hanwha Group plans to invest a total of 55 trillion won ($39.8 billion) in the aerospace and AI industries by 2040, building an integrated space infrastructure encompassing its own launch vehicles, satellite networks and defense AI systems. The group is particularly focused on creating an aerospace industrial belt linking Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province, home to Hanwha Aerospace; Sacheon, where Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is based; the space center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province; and the Hanwha Space Center on Jeju.

“The event confirmed the high level of public interest in the space industry,” a Hanwha Group official said. “We will devote all our efforts to building space industry infrastructure and nurturing the next generation so that South Korea can emerge as an AI space power.”

klee@heraldcorp.com

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