"Space exploration, satellite communications, climate monitoring, navigation systems, and space security are all issues that cross borders. No country can solve these problems alone."
Former Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister Park Jin, now a visiting chaired professor at KAIST, emphasized the need for international cooperation in the space sector at the opening event of the "2026 Korea-Switzerland Innovation Week" held at Swiss Hanok in Jongno District, Seoul, on the 9th.
At the event, discussions continued on how Korea and Switzerland can cooperate across the broader space industry ecosystem beyond satellite development and launch vehicles, including space debris, space situational awareness, satellite data, space robots, and precision components.
Jonas Habich, Switzerland's international space adviser at the Swiss Space Office and Switzerland's representative to the European Space Agency (ESA), said, "Korea and Switzerland are currently cooperating on mutual use of ground stations and are willing to cooperate in the space weather field," adding, "Beyond that, cooperation could expand into space science and exploration."
Cho Seong-gi, head of the Space Information Research Division at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), proposed space situational awareness and space traffic management as the next steps in Korea-Switzerland cooperation. As satellites and launch vehicle debris increase in Earth orbit, the space debris problem is cited as both an environmental issue and an industrial infrastructure issue that determines the stability of satellite services.
The Deputy Minister Cho said, "It is time to go beyond sharing ground station communications and actively share space object tracking data," and noted, "If we facilitate researcher mobility and exchanges through institutions such as EPFL, we can push forward joint research on collision avoidance and debris mitigation."
Kwon Hyun-joon, director-general for space and aviation policy at the Korea AeroSpace Administration, said, "Korea is actively participating in international organizations and contributing to shaping the international environment and norms for space sustainability," adding, "We are also paying attention to space debris removal technology and to corporations such as ClearSpace, a Swiss startup for space debris disposal. This event will be a very important platform for cooperation between Switzerland and Korea."
Minister Park added, "Korea and Switzerland differ in geography and size, but we are very similar in our spirit of innovation," and said, "Both countries are deeply engaged in scientific excellence and technological advancement, and recognize that the future of space depends not only on competition but also on cooperation."
He then proposed, "We should make the Innovation Week not merely a place to exchange ideas, but a springboard to launch joint research projects, institutional partnerships, and policy frameworks," and said, "We need a 'Korea-Switzerland Open Space Dialogue' in which policymakers, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and diplomats participate regularly."