ZURICH, November 09 (AJP) -South Korean companies can supply non-sensitive parts and services for the European Union’s planned secure satellite network, a European Commission official said Monday, pointing to a potential new market for Korea’s space and defense industries.
Korean firms are already eligible to join the IRIS² project as suppliers or subcontractors, the official told South Korean newspaper E-Today. Eligibility does not guarantee contracts, however, and any work would be subject to the program’s legal and technical requirements.
Formal participation by the South Korean government would require a separate international agreement, the official said.
The distinction gives Korean companies a potential commercial opening while Seoul and Brussels explore a broader partnership in secure satellite communications.
IRIS², short for Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite, is intended to provide secure communications for governments and armed forces as well as commercial connectivity. Often described as Europe’s answer to SpaceX’s Starlink, the network is part of an EU effort to reduce dependence on foreign providers.
The war in Ukraine has underscored the importance of reliable satellite links on the battlefield, adding urgency to Europe’s push for its own capabilities.
“Security also depends on space,” European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said, explaining that IRIS² would serve both civilian and military users.
The first satellites are scheduled for launch by the end of 2029. Talks over the project’s operation and financing concluded in August, and its main suppliers have been selected.
The comments follow a series of exchanges between Seoul and Brussels this autumn.
On September 17, EU Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius and a senior official from South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed an arrangement in Brussels to cooperate on secure satellite communications.
The arrangement opened the way for discussions on a possible Korean link to IRIS². A joint working group held its first meeting in October, bringing together the European Commission, the European Space Agency, DAPA and South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development.
The cooperation could give South Korea access to aspects of the program’s design while allowing European space companies to draw on Korean industrial expertise.
Norway and Iceland are the only countries to have signed formal cooperation treaties with the EU on the program so far. South Korea is among the first countries outside Europe to enter discussions.
Two Korean defense electronics companies see scope to contribute, although neither has established that its products meet the project’s requirements.
Hanwha Systems cited its experience developing satellites, ground stations and terminals for low-orbit networks. It said it had not begun supplier talks.
LIG D&A pointed to its satellite repeaters and advanced antennas developed for South Korea’s military satellite programs. Both companies said further checks would be needed to assess compatibility with IRIS² requirements.
The potential opening would extend Korea’s growing defense business in Europe into space communications. Korean manufacturers have already secured major contracts in Poland for K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers and combat aircraft. Winning satellite work would depend on meeting a separate set of technical and security requirements.
- Tags: IRIS², European Union, European Commission, European Space Agency, South Korea, Andrius Kubilius, Thomas Regnier, Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Agency for Defense Development, Hanwha Systems, LIG D&A, E-Today, Starlink, SpaceX, satellites, defense industry
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
