20250917 Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA)

John Lee, vice administrator of the Korea AeroSpace Administration, is looking to turn South Korea into a bigger player in the space industry. (Nikkei montage/Source photos from Korea AeroSpace Administration)

KIM JAEWON

September 18, 2025 14:00 JST

SEOUL — John Lee asked South Korea to give him 10 days to think it over when he was offered a job at the country’s new space agency last year. The government was preparing to launch its own version of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), where he had worked for almost three decades.