The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KAI) has again become embroiled in allegations of technology leaks regarding the Korean launch vehicle Nuri. A retired researcher has leaked materials related to Nuri to the outside. The researcher under police investigation acknowledged certain imprudence but countered that the materials were already public through media reports and papers, thus not classified documents.
According to KAI and the scientific community on the 24th, the Daejeon Police Agency's Industrial Technology Security Investigation Unit recently conducted a search of researchers affiliated with the KAI launch vehicle research institute. Reports suggest that they obtained mainly communication materials, including emails and messaging conversations.
The police investigation started in October last year when KAI requested an investigation into researcher A, affiliated with the launch vehicle research institute. Similar to the technology leak controversy in 2023, KAI once again referred the matter to the police. Researcher A is suspected of exporting documents from their inbox before retirement. After leaving the position, Researcher A established a space launch advisory company in Daejeon.
Researcher A stated that the emails exported to the outside were related to personal work and had no connection with Nuri's confidential information. They acknowledged that failing to be prudent while organizing emails before resignation was a mistake, but maintained that it had little to do with Nuri's technology leak. Another KAI researcher explained, "Confidential materials, including design data for Nuri, can only be accessed in a separate system called IDMS, not in the inbox."
The police investigation that began with the exportation of Researcher A's inbox materials has currently expanded to include other researchers affiliated with the KAI launch vehicle research institute. The police, while investigating Researcher A, raised concerns over PowerPoint (PPT) files exchanged among KAI researchers in the group chat that included A.
In the group chat, researcher B uploaded a PPT file that contained information related to the Nuri test launch vehicle, prompting the police to investigate whether sharing this material could be legally problematic.
According to ChosunBiz's reporting, the problematic PPT file is an explanatory document on the conceptual design of sounding rockets. Sounding rockets are suborbital rockets equipped with instruments for scientific observation or experiments. This document, created by researcher B from the KAI launch vehicle research institute, introduces the concept of experimental rockets and examples from abroad.
The issue lies in the data attached at the end of the PPT concerning the Nuri test launch vehicle. The PPT includes specifications and flight trajectory data of the Nuri test launch vehicle. The police are reportedly examining whether this part constitutes a leak of Nuri technology. The Nuri test launch vehicle was launched on Nov. 28, 2018, at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, Jeollanam-do.
KAI researchers assert that the specifications and data of the Nuri test launch vehicle have already been publicly disclosed, posing no issues. The specifications were shared with the media by KAI before the launch on Nov. 28, 2018. Many media articles and blogs include the materials from the PPT as they are.
Moreover, five months after the launch, at the spring academic conference of the Korean Society for Aerospace and Aeronautics held in April 2019, KAI researchers presented a paper titled 'Flight Test Trajectory Data of the Test Launch Vehicle.' This paper also contains the same flight trajectory data related to the Nuri test launch vehicle included in the PPT.
A KAI researcher who was investigated by the police said, "The materials already disclosed through media and papers are far from confidential." A lawyer specializing in intellectual property noted, "While there's a possibility that the act of researchers exchanging materials via group chat may violate security regulations, it seems difficult to view the contents of the PPT itself as confidential."
The police and prosecutors investigated researchers affiliated with the KAI launch vehicle research institute in 2023 based on a request from KAI regarding the allegations of Nuri technology leakage. The Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office, which handled the case at the time, concluded with a decision of 'no charges' due to insufficient evidence on April 30, 2024.