Hanwha Group launches 5th cohort of 'Pebbles in Space' youth space program

Hanwha Group announced Sunday that the 5th cohort of "Pebbles in Space," a space talent development program created jointly with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), kicked off Saturday at Hanwha Building in Jangyo-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul.

Pebbles in Space identifies and nurtures promising first- and second-year middle school students nationwide, with the aim of strengthening South Korea's competitiveness in the space industry. Hanwha selected 30 students for the 5th cohort through an essay review and discussion-based interview. The program runs through the end of the year, with education centered on the theme "Space Technology for the Republic of Korea," conducted alongside faculty from KAIST's Department of Aerospace Engineering.

The program opens with a "Space Humanities Conference" — a series of sessions in which students meet space industry experts, including science communicators, space scientists and researchers, and engage through talks, questions and discussion.

The first speaker, science communicator Gwedo, met with students on the theme of "coexistence technology in space." Students explored the technologies needed for long-term survival in space and the challenges that must be overcome, learning that humanity's expansion into space is a process of creating new ways of life.

In a subsequent session, space law expert attorney Ahn Young-shin lectured on the theme "Whose laws apply in space?" Students examined a range of scenarios that could arise in outer space from the perspective of law and governance, and learned that space development requires the international community to work together to forge new rules.

This year, Gwedo and three KAIST professors dedicated to the program joined as panelists for a space science talk concert.

At the second Space Humanities Conference, scheduled for next month, students will hear from Ahn Hyung-jun, head of the space public policy team at the Science and Technology Policy Institute, and Kim Sang-gyun, head professor of the AI Business program at Kyung Hee University's College of Business Administration, on space industry policy and broader social change.

Students who complete the program receive a certificate of completion issued in the name of the KAIST president, an opportunity to enroll in KAIST's gifted education center, KAIST mentoring, and an overseas space agency study tour open to all participants.

After graduation, the program continues to support students in deepening their interest in space through networking with alumni, exchanges across cohorts and follow-up programs.