On May 7, it was announced that Korea University (KU) had been selected as one of the two research facilities designated as a Radio Research Center (RRC) by the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT).

The MSIT’s decision along with the RRC project aims to strengthen the potential of master and doctorate-level scholars within the field of radio and satellite research by providing up to 3.9 billion won for up to eight years, assisting appointed RRCs in securing adequate source technology.

KU’s RRC, directed by Professor Ko Young-chai (School of Electrical Engineering) plans to research wireless light communication between satellites in order to design an organized system for low-orbit clusters satellites. The RRC is also in preparations to conduct joint research with Ajou University and Pohang University of Science and Technology concerning a millimeter-wave communication system for earth-to-satellite links. 

“If you consider 6G to be the follow-up to the current upcoming mobile communication of 5G, you can view low-orbit satellite-based communication as one of its key technologies,”  Professor Ko claims, “Korea has been relatively lagging behind in satellite research and we have been given an opportunity to conduct relevant studies on low-orbit satellite communications for 8 years. Although this satellite-based communications center is the first in Korea and we are slightly behind compared to other foreign technologies, I am still determined to obtain cutting-edge technology with the help of collaborating universities.”

An authority of the MSIT also expressed anticipation by stating, “I hope that the RRCs provide talented individuals with a safe and sufficient environment for them to develop themselves and that this intellectual growth will set the grounds for improvement in the field of radio and satellite research.”