John Lee, a former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) official who served as the de facto operations chief of the Korea AeroSpace Administration, tendered his resignation.
The space agency said on the 25th that Deputy Minister Lee submitted his resignation for personal reasons. In a notice, Lee said, "I had considered working at the Korea AeroSpace Administration for about a year, and I believed I had achieved the goals I initially planned, so I tendered my resignation," adding, "I will wish for and support the development of Korea's aerospace sector and the growth of the Korea AeroSpace Administration."
Deputy Minister Lee is an aerospace expert who worked at NASA for 29 years. He served as NASA heliophysics project manager and as head of satellite integration at the Goddard Space Flight Center under NASA, and, as a Korean American, also worked as a budget manager at the U.S. White House Office of Management and Budget. When the space agency launched last year, it recruited Lee as the inaugural head of the aerospace missions, overseeing Korea AeroSpace Administration research and development (R&D).
The space agency said it will proceed with retirement procedures in accordance with regulations. Deputy Minister Lee's last day is expected to be Oct. 24. Once the resignation is accepted, the number of NASA-trained experts within the space agency is expected to decrease from two to one.
The space agency said it plans to minimize any gap in operations by centering work on Kim Hyun-dae, head of the aerospace innovation division and another former NASA official.