■ Hanwha Aerospace and the space launch vehicle company Perigee Aerospace announced that they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for strategic partnership on the 26th in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province. Through this agreement, both companies decided to share technological and sales capabilities in areas related to the development of future space transportation technology. Hanwha Aerospace has been participating in the establishment of engines and testing facilities as the comprehensive company for the Korean launch vehicle Nuri since 2022, and has also been selected as the prime contractor for next-generation launch vehicles. Perigee Aerospace possesses technology for the liquid methane-based launch vehicle “Blue Whale.”
■ The National Gwacheon Science Museum announced that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for international scientific and cultural cooperation with the Petrosains Science Centre of Malaysia on the 26th. This agreement was promoted after Petrosains proposed to exhibit 25 types of interactive science principle content from the National Gwacheon Science Museum’s Sci-POP exhibition on a tour. The content is scheduled to be displayed at science museums in Malaysia for one year starting from July to August.
■ According to the “2024 Patent Index” report released by the European Patent Office (EPO), South Korea has made the top five countries for European patent applications for two consecutive years. Last year, South Korea filed a total of 13,107 applications, ranking fifth, with the country rankings being the United States, Germany, Japan, China, and South Korea. Among the top 10 companies, two South Korean corporations were included. Samsung Electronics reclaimed the overall top spot for European patent filings after four years, while LG Electronics came in third.
■ The Ministry of Science and ICT held a launch ceremony for the “2025 Public Technology-Based Market-Linked Startup Exploration Support Project” on the 26th at Korea University. This project is a deep-tech startup exploration support program aimed at assisting the market entry of laboratory research results. The launch event was attended by Minister Yoo Sang-im, 110 teams selected from 41 universities and research institutions nationwide, and over 300 participants. The participating teams are expected to prepare for startup after conducting customer interviews, market feasibility verification, investor relations (IR), and consultations over approximately eight months.