The successful launch of Nuri on June 21 made South Korea the seventh country in the world that could launch a 1-ton satellite into orbit and praise has continued for the scientists at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) responsible for the feat. However, some point out that the hard work by the scientists should not be interpreted simply in terms a sense of duty to the nation.

The researchers receive wages that are low compared to their workload, and they don’t receive a fair overtime pay even if they conduct research late into the night. Sometimes, they even have to go on business trips to other areas in Korea spending their own money. These complaints are exploding particularly among the younger researchers in Blind, an anonymous professional network. The KARI labor union plans to announce its position on the working conditions and benefits of researchers next week.

On June 22, the day after the successful launch of Nuri, someone posted on Blind, “The Uncomfortable Truth Behind the Success of Nuri.” According to the post, a researcher who just graduated from a doctoral program receives a salary of 52 million won a year at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. A, an official at KARI said, “Researchers in their early forties or younger receive about 10 million won less than researchers at other government research institutions like the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI).”

A look at last year’s average wages on ALIO, All Public Information In-One, a system that provides all business information on public agencies, shows similar results. The wage at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (95 million won) is lower than the wage at the KAERI (120 million won) and ETRI (115 million won).

A bigger problem is overtime pay. In the case of KARI, researchers have to concentrate their research capacity when a time is set for a particular launch. They often have to work late into the night and on weekends and holidays, but they do not receive suitable compensation for their work. The person who posted the complaint on Blind wrote, “Researchers don’t receive any compensation even if they work until 2-3 in the morning and on weekends.”

B, another employee at KARI said, “Even if our working hours are flexible, the structure is basically a comprehensive wage system.” Since researchers fail to receive adequate legal compensation when they work overtime, many in the research institute are discontent.

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute is also stingy in paying for business trip expenses. The travel expenses for domestic trips are based on KTX fees, but when researchers go to smaller cities with no access to KTX trains, travel expenses are calculated based on intercity bus fares. However, taking the bus often requires long waits, so researchers usually drive their own cars instead. In this case, the research institute pays for the gas, but they only pay 1,800 won per liter. According to Opinet on June 24, the average price of unleaded gasoline was 2,126 won per liter.

The roundtrip travel expenses for a business trip to Goheung, where the Naro Space Center is located, was recently raised to 100,000 won. However, researchers still have to go to other cities like Ansan, Cheonan and Changwon as well as more remote areas inland, so they still suffer inconveniences.

The research institute pays 50,000-60,000 won per night for accommodations and the cost of a meal is set at 8,300 won, which is not sufficient when considering consumer prices. According to researchers at the aerospace institute, the problem is that the institute applies business trip standards for general civil servants who work in the office. This fails to reflect the characteristics of the work handled by KARI researchers, who have to travel to all corners of the nation. The KARI labor union is expected to release its position on the working conditions and benefits for researchers next week.