Citizens Administration News, Kayla Lee  |  The competitiveness of the aerospace industry is no longer determined by technological capabilities alone. Along with the ability to develop advanced aircraft and satellites, it is becoming increasingly important to understand international rules and to design policies and institutions that reflect national interests.

 

 

In particular, as Advanced Air Mobility and Urban Air Mobility (AAM/UAM), artificial intelligence and unmanned aviation, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), aviation carbon neutrality, space security and the private-sector-led “New Space” industry emerge as new growth agendas, fostering professionals in aerospace policy and law has become a national task.

 

Diplomacy Journal met with Lee Jaewan, who took office as dean of the Graduate School of Aerospace Law and Policy at Korea Aerospace University in March, to hear his views on the direction Korea’s aerospace industry should take and the policy tasks required for the country to become a leader in international rule-making.

 

Lee, who spent about 35 years in the diplomatic service and served as Consul General in Montreal and Ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as chairman of the ICAO Aviation Security Committee, stressed that “Korea must now move beyond being a country that follows international aerospace rules and develop into one that helps create them.”

 

The interview covered a wide range of issues, including Korea’s active participation in the formation of ICAO international standards, aviation carbon-neutrality measures centered on SAF and CORSIA, policy challenges in the New Space era such as space security and space traffic management, practice-oriented aerospace talent development and Korea Aerospace University’s Global Campus initiative. — Editor’s Note

 

Q1. You took office in March as dean of the Graduate School of Aerospace Law and Policy at Korea Aerospace University. After devoting many years to advancing Korea’s national interests on the international stage, you have now moved into academia. It must feel especially meaningful. Could you share your thoughts, as well as your determination and vision for leading the graduate school?

 

For about 35 years as a diplomat, I represented the Republic of Korea in dealing with many countries and various international organizations.

 

During my final government post as Consul General in Montreal and Ambassador to ICAO, I came to deeply realize that a country’s strength comes not only from technology or economic power, but also from the ability to understand the rules of the international community and, furthermore, to help make those rules.

 

Now, I would like to share the experience I accumulated in the diplomatic field with the next generation and contribute to strengthening Korea’s policy capabilities in the aerospace sector. In that sense, the position of dean holds special meaning for me.

 

The aerospace industry is now going through a major transition. New agendas such as AAM/UAM, AI and unmanned aviation, carbon neutrality, the launch of the Korea AeroSpace Administration and New Space are emerging simultaneously. If laws and policies fail to keep pace with technological development, it will be difficult to translate technology into industry and markets.

 

The graduate school I want to build is one that nurtures people who can understand changes in the international community, determine what policies Korea should choose and propose new rules on the international stage.

 

I hope to develop our Graduate School of Aerospace Law and Policy into Asia’s leading education and research hub in the fields of aerospace policy and law.

 

Q2. Korea is now entering the New Space era following the launch of the Korea AeroSpace Administration. However, there are concerns that policy infrastructure such as international rules, space security and aviation law must be established as urgently as technological development. As a global rules expert who served as chairman of the ICAO Aviation Security Committee and in other key positions, how do you assess the current situation, and what policy tasks should Korea focus on?

 

I believe that both aviation and space have now reached a point where the pace of technological development must be matched by the pace of policy and institutional development.

 

First, in aviation, Korea is undeniably a major aviation country, ranking eighth in the world in air transport volume and eighth in assessed contributions to ICAO’s regular budget, while also operating Incheon International Airport, which ranks among the world’s top three in international passenger handling capacity.

 

Now we must go one step further and become an “aviation-leading country” that contributes to the formation of international aviation policies and rules.

 

However, I believe that Korea still lacks sufficient professional policy infrastructure within the government to continuously analyze international aviation issues and connect them with national policy and industrial strategy.

 

ICAO establishes and continuously revises more than 12,000 Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) through its 19 Annexes and other instruments. We should not simply incorporate them into domestic law. We need to systematically analyze why these technical standards were created, how they are likely to change in the future and what impact they may have on Korea’s aviation industry and policy.

 

More importantly, we need to participate from the stage at which international standards are created.

 

Many ICAO standards are substantially drafted by expert groups in specific fields, including panels under the Air Navigation Commission (ANC), one of ICAO’s subsidiary bodies.

 

Accordingly, Korea should identify and foster capable domestic experts at an early stage in areas such as aviation safety, operations, security, environment and AAM/UAM, systematically manage a pool of experts and continuously support their participation in ICAO expert groups.

 

It is far more effective to reflect our expertise and interests from the drafting stage than simply to follow international standards after they have already been finalized.

 

At the same time, Korea should establish a medium- to long-term strategy for cultivating international aviation professionals that can eventually lead to Koreans advancing into senior positions within the ICAO Secretariat.

 

Korea should also raise its national standing within ICAO.

 

Since first becoming a Council member in 2001, Korea was elected last year for its ninth consecutive term, but it currently remains a Part III Council member.

 

With the protocol expanding the ICAO Council from 36 to 40 members having entered into force last June, the legal basis for Council expansion has been established, and adjustments to the number of seats allocated to each Part are expected in due course.

 

We should now make promotion to Part I or Part II status a top priority of our national aviation diplomacy and actively pursue it in line with Korea’s aviation stature and contributions to the international community.

 

The basic direction is the same in the space sector.

 

The government has set a goal of becoming one of the world’s five leading space powers and recently selected aerospace as one of the seven “SEED” future growth engines.

 

However, compared with aviation, many international rules in the space sector are still in the process of being formed.

 

Korea should therefore improve its domestic legal and institutional framework for space security, space debris, space traffic management, space resources and commercial space activities while proactively participating in the formation of international rules.

 

Ultimately, in both aviation and space, it is no longer enough simply to comply well with rules that others have already created.

 

We must become a country that anticipates changes in international rules and directly participates in the process of making them. I believe that is the path from being merely a major aviation country to becoming a true aerospace leader.

 

 

Q3. Carbon-neutrality regulations in the aviation sector are becoming increasingly stringent worldwide. This is also an issue of survival for Korean airlines as well as defense and space companies. What policy improvements are needed in the field for Korea to overcome this major global challenge?

 

Carbon neutrality in aviation is no longer simply an environmental issue. It has become an issue of industrial competitiveness.

 

This is because the expansion of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or SAF, and the implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or CORSIA, are proceeding simultaneously under ICAO’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions from international aviation by 2050.

 

Above all, I believe that direct emissions reductions through SAF and market-based offsets through CORSIA should be managed within a single policy framework.

 

While SAF, environmentally friendly aircraft and improved operational efficiency are measures that directly reduce emissions, CORSIA is a system that offsets emissions exceeding a prescribed baseline through the carbon market. The two are not substitutes for one another but complementary tools.

 

As CORSIA obligations expand in the future, the cost of purchasing carbon credits could become a considerable burden on Korean airlines.

 

Therefore, while building SAF production capacity, certification systems and supply chains, the government should also incorporate CORSIA-related measures into its policies, including the provision of international carbon-market information and assistance in securing carbon credits.

 

There is also a need to discuss whether it is sustainable to make airlines bear the full cost of carbon neutrality.

 

Airlines, passengers and the government should reasonably share costs and responsibilities.

 

Ultimately, aviation carbon neutrality requires a comprehensive perspective that recognizes it simultaneously as environmental policy, industrial and energy policy, and a policy affecting international competitiveness.

 

Q4. Beyond technology-centered engineering education, why has fostering professionals in “aerospace policy and management” now emerged as a national and industrial priority? What educational philosophy or strengths distinguish Korea Aerospace University’s Graduate School of Aerospace Law and Policy from other graduate schools?

 

Aerospace is a representative convergence industry.

 

The industry cannot be completed simply by possessing the technology to build good aircraft or satellites.

 

Aviation requires airworthiness certification, operating rules, pilot qualifications, airspace management, security, environmental regulation and bilateral air-service agreements. Space activities are likewise connected with launch authorization, liability, frequencies, space traffic, export controls and security.

 

UAM is a good example.

 

No matter how advanced an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, or eVTOL, may be, it cannot be commercialized unless aircraft classification, airworthiness certification, pilot qualifications, airspace and operating rules are established.

 

This means that technological demonstrations alone are insufficient. Institutions that meet international standards and public trust are also required.

 

Ultimately, it is the role of policy and law to transform technological success into industrial success.

 

That is also where the strength of our graduate school lies.

 

One thing I learned while working at ICAO is that important international aviation policies do not suddenly appear one day. They evolve into international rules through years of debate and negotiation among governments, industry and experts.

 

Our educational approach is therefore not simply to study international treaties or the Annexes to the Chicago Convention, but to analyze why the rules were created, what the interests of different countries are and what position Korea should take.

 

In practice, our students directly examine ICAO technical rules, analyze differences with domestic law and assess the implications for Korean policy.

 

Ultimately, we aim to cultivate aerospace leaders who understand technology, possess expertise in international rules, understand industry and are capable of designing national policy.

 

Q5. I understand that many of your students are working professionals from government ministries, public agencies, defense companies and airlines. What plans do you have for industry-academia-research cooperation and curriculum development so that students can contribute directly to industry and policymaking beyond theoretical study?

 

The greatest asset of our graduate students is that they already understand the field. They are actually working in government, airlines, public institutions, defense companies and space companies.

 

Therefore, rather than simply delivering new knowledge, the graduate school should help students develop the ability to redefine problems from the field in the language of policy and create solutions.

 

First, we intend to directly connect real-world issues such as SAF and CORSIA, aviation accident investigation, aviation security, UAM, space security and international space rules with education.

 

Students should not stop at simply learning about the systems. We want them to propose concrete policy alternatives.

 

Second, I would like to strengthen cooperation between the Graduate School of Aerospace Law and Policy and the Institute of Air and Space Law at Korea Aerospace University so that students can participate in research projects commissioned by the government and industry.

 

Third is internationalization.

 

Aviation is inherently an international industry, and responding to the future global shortage of aviation professionals is also an important task.

 

Through its Next Generation of Aviation Professionals, or NGAP, initiative, ICAO has emphasized that governments, industries and educational institutions should work together to cultivate future aviation professionals.

 

In this regard, I have great expectations for Korea Aerospace University’s Global Campus, which is scheduled to open in March next year.

 

We intend to incorporate into the Global Campus the educational approach our graduate school has pursued — focusing on international rules and real-world policy issues, learning through case studies and discussion, and education linked with industry practice — and devote ourselves to cultivating outstanding aviation professionals not only from Korea but from countries around the world.

 

In particular, as circumstances permit, we would like to provide scholarship opportunities to talented students from developing countries and share Korea’s excellent aviation education and industrial experience, thereby contributing to ICAO’s NGAP objectives and the cultivation of aviation professionals worldwide.

 

 

Q6. Compared with your days traveling around the world as a diplomat and ICAO ambassador, you are now in a position where you are “cultivating people” as dean. Between an international conference room and a classroom, which makes you more nervous?

 

The classroom can be just as nerve-racking as an international conference room.

 

At international meetings, we set negotiating objectives and prepare together with many people. In teaching, however, I prepare the lectures myself, and I often encounter unexpected questions in the classroom.

 

In particular, most of our students are experts who have worked in the field for many years, so they immediately recognize when an explanation does not match reality.

 

The nature of the responsibility is also different.

 

If a diplomat protects the national interest of the present, I believe a professor is someone who cultivates the experts who will protect our national interest in the future.

 

For that reason, I feel just as much responsibility in the classroom as I did in the diplomatic field.

 

To be frank, the classroom makes me just as nervous and gives me just as strong a sense of responsibility as the diplomatic arena did.

 

Q7. “Aerospace policy” may sound somewhat difficult to the general public. Is there one point you would particularly like ordinary people to keep in mind when they look at aviation, aerospace or simply the sky?

 

I would like to say, “The sky may look free, but in reality it is a space that operates through countless international agreements.”

 

For a single aircraft to fly safely to another country, numerous rules must operate simultaneously, including aircraft safety standards, pilot qualifications, air traffic control, airspace, aviation security, traffic rights and environmental standards.

 

More than 12,000 SARPs managed by ICAO support this international aviation system.

 

The same will apply to UAM and the space industry in the future.

 

When you see a new technology, if you also ask, “What new rules will be needed to use this technology safely in the real world?” I think aerospace policy will become much more interesting.

 

Q8. Finally, after following the path of a diplomat, you are now leading efforts to nurture Korea’s aerospace professionals. What is your personal dream going forward, or one thing you are determined to accomplish during your term?

 

If I had to choose one thing, I would like to establish a firm international foundation for Korea Aerospace University’s Graduate School of Aerospace Law and Policy.

 

Korea’s aerospace industry and national standing have grown significantly, but the research foundations and professional workforce in international aviation and space policy and law still need to be further strengthened.

 

During my term, I want to enhance the research capabilities of the graduate school and the Institute of Air and Space Law, expand policy research with the government and industry, and establish sustainable networks with leading overseas universities, research institutions and ICAO.

 

In particular, I hope to see graduates of our school eventually participating in the formation of important policies and international rules at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Korea AeroSpace Administration, international organizations including ICAO, airlines, and defense and space companies.

 

My goal is to build a graduate school that nurtures outstanding professionals who can help Korea develop from a country that follows international aerospace rules into a country that helps create those rules.

 

Profile

Lee Jaewan, Dean of the Graduate School of Aerospace Law and Policy at Korea Aerospace University, earned his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in law from Korea University and an LL.M. from the University of Virginia in the United States.

 

Lee served as a professor of aviation law at the Republic of Korea Air Force Academy, Director-General for Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador to Jordan, Consul General in Montreal and Ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

 

He also served as chairman of ICAO’s Host Country Relations Committee (RHCC) and Aviation Security Committee (ASC), building extensive experience in diplomacy and international aviation. He is regarded as one of Korea’s leading experts in aerospace law and policy.