South Korea races to secure foothold in contested space
· UPIJune 30 (Asia Today) -- South Korea is moving to strengthen its national security capabilities through greater cooperation between the government and private aerospace companies as competition for communications, surveillance and military advantages expands into orbit.
President Lee Jae Myung said Friday during a government meeting on emerging security industries that South Korea would introduce an innovation-oriented contracting system for nondefense fields such as aerospace.
The government also plans to create a new acquisition system for advanced defense technologies, Lee said.
The policy reflects an effort to connect private-sector innovation with government and military demand. Officials expect the resulting industrial growth to improve South Korea's security capabilities while creating a larger domestic aerospace market.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration followed the announcement by releasing guidelines Monday for private companies to use the Naro Space Center in Goheung, about 205 miles south of Seoul.
The agency plans to begin opening a launch site dedicated to private companies during the third quarter of 2027. The guidelines cover application procedures, usage fees, safety controls and security requirements.
The government's decision to provide extensive support to aerospace companies reflects its assessment that space can no longer be treated solely as a commercial or scientific domain.
Satellites have become critical to modern warfare by providing communications, navigation, reconnaissance and targeting information. Damage to satellite networks can also disrupt civilian communications, transportation, financial systems and other critical infrastructure.
The United States and China have competed for years to expand their military and commercial capabilities in orbit.
South Korea formally expanded the responsibilities of the National Intelligence Service into the space domain through a revision of the agency's governing law in 2021. The government has since developed guidelines and cooperative frameworks for space security.
However, South Korea remains a relative latecomer compared with major space powers.
Satellite numbers increase more than fivefold
Satellites are at the center of the emerging space security competition.
Orbital Radar, a commercial tracking platform, listed 28,871 tracked objects in Earth orbit as of Monday, including 17,479 payloads that it classified as active.
The number of active satellites has increased more than fivefold from about 3,372 in 2020. The platform listed about 7,560 active satellites as recently as 2023, indicating that much of the growth occurred during the past several years.
The United States ranked first with about 11,100 active satellites. China followed with approximately 900, Britain with 650, Russia with 200 and Japan with 150.
South Korea ranked ninth with 45.
The vast majority of active satellites operate in low Earth orbit, where their proximity to Earth allows them to provide detailed imagery and lower-latency communications.
Low Earth orbit satellites are used for Earth observation, commercial communications, weather monitoring and military reconnaissance. Geostationary satellites, which remain over a fixed area of Earth, are widely used for broadcasting, communications and weather observation.
These systems can provide the communications and surveillance capabilities needed to maintain an advantage during a conflict.
The Korea AeroSpace Administration plans to launch 10 additional small Earth observation satellites aboard the country's Nuri rocket by 2027.
The satellites are part of the NEONSAT constellation, which is designed to monitor the Korean Peninsula and surrounding waters several times a day. The system will also support responses to natural disasters and other emergencies.
The government plans to launch five of the satellites in 2026 and another five in 2027. South Korea, however, remains in the early stages of operating a large satellite constellation.
Satellite development requires specialized materials, complex technologies, substantial investment and a highly trained workforce. Those requirements are among the reasons the government is emphasizing cooperation with private companies.
Approximately 10,000 of the active U.S. satellites were launched by SpaceX for its Starlink low Earth orbit communications network.
Starlink demonstrated the military importance of commercial satellite systems during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russian missile strikes and cyberattacks damaged Ukraine's terrestrial communications infrastructure during the early stages of the war. Starlink terminals helped Ukrainian forces restore communications and continue military operations despite the attacks.
The experience also demonstrated the risks of relying heavily on a private company for essential military communications.
Reuters reported in 2025 that SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk ordered Starlink coverage to be deactivated in certain Russian-occupied areas during a Ukrainian counteroffensive in September 2022. The interruption affected Ukrainian drones, surveillance and artillery operations, according to the report.
SpaceX disputed the report.
The episode illustrated how control of commercial satellite infrastructure can affect operations on the ground.
China is also rapidly expanding its space capabilities.
The Washington-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said in a June report that China had gained an advantage over the United States in areas including remote sensing and satellite imagery.
Chinese commercial satellite companies have demonstrated their ability to photograph U.S. military installations and use artificial intelligence to analyze the possible movement of American forces in the Middle East.
The foundation said much of China's commercial space technology could also be used for military purposes.
China remains behind the United States in low Earth orbit broadband communications but is seeking to narrow the gap through its Qianfan constellation.
The project calls for deploying about 14,000 low Earth orbit satellites by 2030. China is also developing the separate Guowang communications constellation.
South Korea, by comparison, operates only about 20 satellites in low Earth orbit.
Thousands of foreign satellites regularly pass over the Korean Peninsula, giving other countries and private companies access to communications and observation capabilities that South Korea has yet to develop independently.
The government's emerging security strategy could therefore represent a turning point, particularly as Seoul seeks the eventual transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean forces from the United States.
Kang Geon-jak, South Korea's first deputy national security adviser, warned in remarks prepared for the Hongneung Defense Forum on Tuesday that independent satellite communications would be essential to making the transfer effective.
"If we fail to secure sovereignty over a low Earth orbit satellite communications network, data-based intelligence, a Korean AI military analysis platform and the practical operation of wartime operational control could all become hollow," Kang said.
Cyberattacks move beyond Earth
The growing ability to collect military intelligence from space has also extended cyberwarfare into orbit.
Adversaries can attempt to hack satellites, interfere with communications or manipulate navigation signals without physically destroying a spacecraft.
Western governments attributed a cyberattack on Viasat's KA-SAT satellite network at the beginning of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine to the Russian government.
The attack disrupted communications in Ukraine and affected thousands of customers elsewhere in Europe.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service has also warned about Salt Typhoon, a hacking group linked to China that has targeted telecommunications infrastructure, including satellite communications providers.
North Korea presents a more immediate threat to South Korean navigation and satellite operations.
Pyongyang has repeatedly transmitted signals intended to interfere with GPS services near the Korean Peninsula. The disruptions have affected South Korean aircraft and vessels on several occasions since the early 2010s, including during renewed interference operations in 2024.
South Korean authorities believe North Korea is seeking to improve its electronic warfare capabilities with technological assistance gained through closer cooperation with Russia.
The goal could include disrupting South Korean and U.S. satellite missions used to monitor North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile activities.
The Korea Institute for Defense Analyses said North Korea could eventually pursue a direct-ascent anti-satellite system capable of destroying satellites with missiles launched from Earth.
The institute also assessed that Pyongyang could combine such weapons with jamming, spoofing, cyberattacks and electromagnetic pulse systems.
The expanding range of threats means South Korea must develop not only additional satellites but also the ability to protect, operate and replace them during a conflict.
The government's strategy is intended to create a system in which public and military demand supports private aerospace companies while commercial innovation strengthens South Korea's security and technological independence.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260629010010268