- Korea hosts COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) Scientific Assembly in 2024

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) led by Minister Choi Kiyoung announced that Korea will be the host of the 45th Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)* Scientific Assembly in 2024 at its 43rd Scientific Assembly which was closed today.
* COSPAR (COmmittee on SPAce Research) is a research body belonging to ISC (Int’l Science Council) under the UNESCO. The Committee has some 9000 members from 44 member countries that are conducting space research with space infrastructure.

The Korean Committee of COSPAR (Chair: Jong Uk Park, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute) and composed of Korean experts in solar physics and astrobiology has been seeking to host the Assembly after its successful hosting experience in the third COSPAR Symposium* in 2017
* About 350 people from 38 countries participated in the third COSPAR Symposium (Jeju ICC, Sep. 18-22, 2017).

COSPAR is the largest academic event of its kind which is joined. By 3,500 people from 60 countries and has been held biennially* since 1958. The Assembly serves as a platform for researchers in astronomy and space as well as heads of space research institutes such as NASA to discuss how to advance space research and international cooperation policies.
* (Note) Due to the COVID-10 pandemic affecting all parts of the world, the 43rd Assembly (Australia) was postponed to Jan. 28th to Feb. 4th from July 2020. The 43rd Assembly was held in a hybrid online/offline format.

The 45th COSPAR Scientific Assembly will be hosted in Busan for nine days, from July 13rd to 21st under the theme of 'Space Research Team Spirit in Space Research'. The Assembly will invite a variety of speakers for lectures and academic presentations. Public events such as 'Space Movie Festival' and 'Meeting with Space Researchers'.

Korea hosting the Assembly is expected to be a window of opportunity for the country by allowing the space research community in Korea to promote its research outcomes, facilitate more research exchanges, create cooperation opportunities with global space-specialized businesses and contribute to the vitalization of the local economy.

Lee Chang-Yoon, Director-General of the Space, Nuclear and Big Science Policy Bureau of the MSIT said that "the COSPAR Scientific Assembly is the largest of its kind, offering 4000 academic presentations in areas as various as space research and exploration and the participants include the world’s leading companies in aerospace and space such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Airbus. Thus, we will make sure that we will be well-prepared to take the hosting as an opportunity to grow the domestic field of space research."

For further information, please contact Deputy Director Park Soo Jeong of the Ministry of Science and ICT (E-mail address : soojeong@korea.kr).