President Lee Jae Myung announced on Friday that he will push to launch a South Korean rocket into space once every year.

Lee made the statement while receiving a policy briefing from the Korea AeroSpace Administration(KASA) in the central administrative city of Sejong.

During the meeting, KASA Administrator Yoon Young-bin said South Korea aims to launch a lunar communication orbiter in 2029 and a lunar lander in 2032 as part of its long-term space exploration plan.

In response, Lee suggested conducting annual launches and asked officials to urge relevant companies to prepare to invest in the development of related technologies.

Lee stressed the importance of additional space launches but acknowledged that launching every year is costly.

Ha Jung-woo, the senior presidential secretary for AI future planning, told Lee that a consistent launch schedule enables steady investment and sales, which will benefit South Korea's industry and technology. 

Regarding South Korea’s lack of a dedicated launch pad for solid-fuel rockets, Yoon told Lee that his agency plans to build a military launch site with a private firm that will begin operations in 2027.