In 1979, South Korea signed a bilateral agreement with the United States to limit the range of South Korean missiles to 180 km. Following several rounds of negotiations with Washington in the late 1990s, Seoul joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in March 2001. As North Korean missile capabilities have grown, however, domestic pressures have increased in South Korea for the development of more robust missile systems. South Korea is also moving forward with an ambitious space program, which includes plans to launch a small satellite into low-earth orbit in 2007. Although the MTCR would bar South Korea from developing longrange missiles, Seoul is free to develop space launch vehicles for peaceful use. In principle, such a space launch program can provide a state with capabilities that could be diverted to military purposes at some future time, including capabilities in the area of propulsion, guidance, and system integration.

At the moment, fully consistent with its MTCR obligations, Seoul has begun to exploit space for a range of purposes with strategic potential, including the acquisition of independent military communications and earth observation capabilities. To do so, South Korea has pursued an alternative course to using a domestically produced space launch vehicle, relying instead on a combination of indigenously built satellites that are orbited by a foreign commercial space launch organization. Seoul’s most recent uses of this arrangement are discussed in this article.

Military Communications Satellite Launch Set for July 2006
South Korea is preparing to launch its first military communications satellite in July 2006. The Mugunghwa-5, or “Koreasat-5,” will provide broadcasting and communication services for both Korea Telecomm and South Korean military forces. It is to be launched at sea by the Sea Launch consortium, south of Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean. The satellite will be South Korea’s fourth commercial satellite, and it will be placed into geostationary orbit. [1]

On December 28, 2005, South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development (ADD) opened an operations center in the City of Taejŏn to control military satellite communications. The two story building has been outfitted with sophisticated communications equipment to manage and control a satellite communication
network. [2] According to ADD sources, the communication network and the control center’s equipment
were all developed with indigenous South Korean technology. [3] The facility, which took about 14 months to build, will be operated by the National Defense Command and Communications Headquarters. [4]

According to Namgung Kyun, director of the Command and Communication Department under the Joint Chiefs of Staff, an integrated satellite communications system for the South Korean military services will be essential in future conflicts. Namkung says that future wars will be decided by the ability to observe, to make decisions, and to strike before one’s opponent can. [2] [5]

Arirang-2 Multipurpose Satellite to be Launched from Russia in July 2006
In February 2006, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) completed its final prelaunch tests and inspections of the Arirang-2 multipurpose satellite, which is scheduled to be launched from Russia’s
Plesetsk Cosmodrome, in July 2006. The Arirang-2 will be equipped with a 1-meter resolution multi-spectral
camera that was jointly developed by KARI and Electro-Optics, Limited (ELOP) of Israel. [6] The resolution is a significant improvement over the 6.6-meter resolution imagery provided by the Arirang-1, which was launched on December 21, 1999, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. [7] KARI began to develop the
Arirang-2 satellite in 1999, and it took four years to complete the joint development of the multi-spectral camera with ELOP. [6] [8] KARI is now developing the Arirang-3, which is expected to provide imagery with about 70-80 cm resolution and is scheduled for launch in 2009. [7] [9] [10]

The Arirang-2 will provide imagery for analysis and management of Korea’s forestry and marine resources, and is not intended for military purposes. KARI has also signed a contract with Spot Image of France to market Arirang-2 imagery for commercial use, which will permit KARI to earn $27 million during the satellite’s three-year lifespan. [6, 11] According to KARI Director Paek Hong-yŏl, KARI decided that incentives for investment in the satellite would be increased if it could be shown that the satellite could earn revenue. [11]

While South Korea has not yet launched an observation satellite specifically for military use, the Ministry of National Defense can be expected to increase its interest in and demand for satellite imagery and data. In January 2006, the United States agreed to provide the South Korean military with satellite data on North Korean topography that could be used for cruise missile targeting. The information will be an update of data provided by the United States in 1993. [12]

The issue of South Korean military reconnaissance satellites is a sensitive issue in Seoul because of the possible implications for the bilateral alliance with Washington. For example, one prominent South Korean
lawmaker believes that Seoul’s current reliance upon Washington for satellite intelligence strengthens bilateral cooperation, and that an independent South Korean spy satellite capability would contribute to the erosion of the alliance relationship.[13] Furthermore, Seoul could raise the suspicions of its neighbors if the South Korean space program were to move too quickly into the military realm.

Despite its current restraint, the South Korean government could face increasing domestic pressure to expand the military applications of the country’s space program. One spur could be reaction to a move by Japan to enhance the military aspects of its space activities. This possibility was opened in January 2006, when Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) called for a review of Japan’s policy on the peaceful use of space, which has been in effect since 1969. [14] If Japan reverses its policy, or if South Koreans perceive
Japan to be reversing this policy, there will be political pressure for Seoul to respond in kind. Second, many South Koreans would like to obtain satellite data in a timely manner and without the involvement of foreigners. [8] [15] This issue has been mentioned in the South Korean press and resonates in Korean society, which has a strong sense of “scientific nationalism.” Third, the South Korean government may want to acquire enhanced military observation capabilities to avoid repetitions of its inability to explain promptly past unexpected activities in North Korea, such as the explosion, on April 24, 2004, at the railroad station in Yongch’ŏn and a second explosion, in September 2004, at a North Korean dam construction site near the
Chinese border. Finally, if the bilateral alliance with the United States is weakened or terminated, there
will be even greater pressures for Seoul to dedicate more of its space assets for military applications.

Daniel Pinkston – Monterey Institute Center for Nonproliferation Studies