KorDan GINP: Strengthening Ties with the South Korean Space Ecosystem
A Danish space delegation recently travelled to Daejeon, South Korea, to strengthen collaboration across the Korean space ecosystem. Karsten Bubber, steering committee member of Aarhus Space Centre (SpaCe), represented SpaCe during the delegation visit.
This past month, a Danish space delegation headed to Daejeon, South Korea, for an intensive, high-level mission to kick-start and deepen collaborations across the Korean space ecosystem. As part of the KorDan GINP (Global Innovation Network Program) network—led by DTU Space with partners from Aarhus Space Centre (SpaCe), DMI, Space Inventor, and Sternula, and funded by the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science—the trip marked a massive step forward in building a strong Denmark-East Asia Space Alliance.
The schedule was so packed that even the satellites would have asked for a break! The delegation engaged in inspiring discussions with South Korea's heavy hitters in the industry, space agencies, and research domains:
- KAIST Space Institute (Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology)
- CONTEC (Satellite ground station and data experts)
- KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute)
- KASI (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute)
- KASA (The newly established Korea Aerospace Administration)
From lunar missions and satellite technology to space weather, space situational awareness, and Earth observation, the appetite for collaboration was clear across the board. The trip also included the co-organization of a highly successful Global Space Innovation Day alongside the Korea Innovation Foundation (INNOPOLIS) and the Swiss Science & Technology Office Seoul, bringing together minds from three global innovation hotspots.
"As small countries, we cannot do everything on our own. We need great partnerships with like-minded friends who share our values and our ambitions. The partnerships we build today are the missions we fly tomorrow."
What’s Next?
The momentum doesn’t stop in Daejeon. Keep an eye out for these upcoming milestones:
- The Outlook Report: Innovation Centre Denmark Seoul will soon publish a dedicated report outlining concrete collaboration opportunities within the Korean space ecosystem.
Copenhagen is Calling: This September 1–2, Denmark will host ESA's flagship commercialization conference, Space for Inspiration 2026, at the Bella Center. We look forward to welcoming a returning Korean delegation right here on Danish soil to connect them deeply with our local and European space community.
If you are working within the space sector at AU and want to explore what collaboration between Denmark, Korea, and the broader East Asia region could look like for your research or project, don't hesitate to reach out to the Aarhus Space Centre team at space@au.dk or feel free to join our consortium