The Three-Axis System
The next morning, Taesik woke up and immediately turned on the television. Since the news had yet to report on the North Korean nuclear test, he hurried to work. Upon arriving at the satellite ground control station, he handed out coffee and snacks he had prepared for Section Chief Choi Jae-ho and his exhausted team.
Section Chief Choi spoke up. "It seems a nuclear test is imminent. All the vehicles and materials at the tunnel entrance were moved overnight."
"Is it at the monitoring level we discussed yesterday?"
"Yes. It’s regrettable, but there’s nothing we can do. Through diplomatic channels, the U.S. stance is to watch and wait, arguing that even if they develop nuclear weapons, they cannot attack the U.S. mainland without an ICBM."
"And South Korea...?"
"...We have to endure it."
"This is the reality of the Republic of Korea."
While the two were talking, the phones of Section Chief Choi and his agents began to ring simultaneously.
"Section Chief! North Korea conducted a nuclear test around 09:30. Seismic waves have been detected."
Section Chief Choi began downloading satellite photos of the Punggye-ri area with the help of Starlink employees. Seeing the collapsed ridgeline in Punggye-ri, they immediately knew the test had taken place.
"What’s the magnitude?"
"It’s 5.1. They say it’s 0.2 higher than the fourth nuclear test."
"The last one was 4.9, so the power is roughly doubled."
"That’s right. The power is greater than the fourth test. However, compared to the test results of other nuclear-armed nations, it’s still weak in terms of raw power."
Section Chief Choi and his team edited the photos from before and after the test, hurriedly compiled a report, and submitted it to their superiors. Taesik stepped aside to give them space. When he returned to his office, the news was already breaking the story of North Korea’s fifth nuclear test, and the stock market was fluctuating wildly.
Following the nuclear test, the Minister of National Defense, appearing in place of the President, announced plans to deploy THAAD to South Korea to intercept projectiles, selecting a golf course owned by a confectionery company as the site. While the nation was in an uproar over the nuclear test and the THAAD issue, Taesik finally launched the Starlink internet service.
CEO Ryu Gwang-soo and the Starlink Communication staff had redesigned the satellite antennas and routers with a sleek aesthetic and began advertising online. When the media released critical reports claiming that Starlink had launched an unnecessary satellite internet system, CEO Ryu was deeply disappointed.
"CEO Kim, South Korea is small enough that wired connections are feasible, but there are so many places in the world where wired internet is impossible... I don’t understand why they are attacking us like this."
"CEO Ryu, don’t pay too much attention to it. The market we are targeting isn’t just South Korea; it’s the entire world. How many orders have we received so far?"
"We have 30 orders in Korea, and about 200 from Canada and the U.S."
"That’s not bad for the first day. Once the promotion spreads, the order volume will increase. But what about the orders from Korea?"
"I was curious, so I checked. Given the addresses are in rural areas, it seems people living in remote mountain villages are the ones ordering."
"I guess there are still many areas in South Korea without proper internet access."
CEO Ryu checked the number of satellite internet subscribers every day, waiting anxiously, and was greatly disappointed when the revenue didn't meet his expectations. Due to the THAAD deployment, China began imposing economic retaliation on South Korea. In particular, the confectionery company that provided the THAAD site was subjected to tax audits and business suspensions in China.
The Ministry of National Defense announced a plan to build a "Three-Axis System" as a follow-up measure to the North Korean nuclear test. They announced the three stages: Kill Chain, Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), and Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR). The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) urgently summoned defense industry officials to build the system.
The representatives of each defense company gathered for a meeting hosted by DAPA, and Taesik along with the three Starlink CEOs also attended. As the representatives arrived and exchanged greetings, a DAPA official entered and projected data related to the Three-Axis System onto the screen.
"Hello. I am Lieutenant General Choi Young-gyu, Head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration."
As Lieutenant General Choi greeted them, the murmurs of the representatives died down, and he began presenting the prepared materials.
"I will briefly explain the Three-Axis System announced to the media."
"First, the Kill Chain is a concept of detecting North Korea's core targets—nuclear weapons and missiles—and removing them by attacking before launch if signs of use are clear; you can think of it as a preemptive strike. Next, the Korea Air and Missile Defense is a complex multi-layered defense system that detects, intercepts, and disseminates warnings for various incoming missiles. Finally, Massive Punishment and Retaliation is a concept of striking the war leadership and core facilities based on overwhelming strategic capabilities if North Korea uses nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction."
"The reason I explained the Three-Axis System is that future weapon development will be centered around it, and you, the defense industry officials here, must develop the relevant weapons."
At Lieutenant General Choi's words, the representatives asked questions while considering the items their companies would be responsible for.
"The main components of the Three-Axis System are detection equipment and attack systems. How will the developers be selected?"
"Detection equipment will consist largely of two types: satellites and long-range radar systems. Since there is no alternative to Starlink Communication for satellites, Starlink will handle it through a private contract, and for long-range radar, we will proceed with competitive bidding for company-led R&D."
"Why is only Starlink getting a private contract?"
At the representative's comment, Lieutenant General Choi asked, "Is there any other company here that possesses satellite manufacturing technology?"
"..."
"I believe it is correct to award private contracts for specialized items to companies that possess the manufacturing technology for early deployment. Do you have any objections?"
The CEO of KIG Nexone raised his hand. "There are no companies other than Starlink Defense and KIG Nexone that have the design technology for long-range radar..."
"That is correct. However, since there are two or more companies, we will select the developer through competitive bidding. If any other companies are interested, please participate in the bidding."
"..."
"Now, for the Korea Air and Missile Defense and Massive Punishment and Retaliation sectors. Most are surface-to-air or surface-to-surface missiles, and similar technologies are used redundantly. Therefore, the missiles will be developed under the leadership of the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), and defense companies will participate as prototype manufacturers and then proceed to mass production."
At the mention of ADD-led R&D rather than company-led R&D, the KIG CEO raised his hand.
"It is possible for companies to do their own R&D, so why are you switching to ADD-led R&D?"
"To prevent the waste of resources. Surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles use the same technology and are very similar. The ADD will hold the core technology and provide technical support to each prototype manufacturer."
"So you're saying we should first be selected as a prototype manufacturer to win the mass production volume in the ADD bidding?"
"That is correct."
The CEO of KIG Nexone looked at CEO Park In-tak of Starlink Defense, and CEO Park smiled.
A representative from the naval sector raised his hand. "It’s a satellite and missile project, so why did you call the naval companies?"
"The first phase of development is surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, but the second phase will include ship-to-surface and ship-to-air missiles. Naval companies must also participate in this."
Taesik raised his hand, noting that the Three-Axis System only mentioned government-led development.
"You only mentioned R&D projects supported by government budgets. Is it impossible to develop weapon systems with company funds?"
"I don't understand what you mean."
"Detection is possible through satellites and drones, but it seems you are only considering surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles for the attack systems used against enemy attacks. I ask because you’ve limited it too much, as there are also air-to-surface fields and suicide drones."
"Ah! That was considered initially, but it was pushed down in priority considering the budget and domestic technology maturity. And in the case of suicide drones, they were excluded because their lethal range is too narrow. If you invest company funds to develop a weapon system to supplement the Three-Axis System on your own, we do have a plan to purchase it on a priority basis through test evaluations."
"Then what happens to the introduction of high-end fighter jets?"
"Since early deployment is more urgent than domestic R&D, we are thinking of introducing F-35 fighter jets from the U.S., and the purchase quantity for the aircraft being developed by Starlink Aviation will be decided through power analysis after the test evaluation is completed."
"The Ministry of National Defense and DAPA seem to only consider North Korea's multiple rocket launchers and missiles. Are there no countermeasures for drones?"
"We believe the KA-1 low-speed control aircraft and Apache helicopters already deployed are sufficient countermeasures against drones. However, if a weapon system to suppress drones is developed, we intend to go through the purchase process through test evaluation as well. For your reference, drones are not included in the Three-Axis System."
Taesik felt sorry for Lieutenant General Choi's exhausted expression but continued to ask questions.
"A launch vehicle is needed to put military satellites for the Kill Chain into orbit. Do you intend to rely on the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) for that?"
"That part has not been decided yet. It is in the stage where the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of National Defense are coordinating, and it will be decided in the future whether to develop a separate launch vehicle for the defense sector or use KARI's launch vehicle."
"Then is there a possibility that the ROK-U.S. Missile Guidelines will be revised?"
"Sigh...! As you know, the current guidelines are tied to a warhead weight of 500kg and a range of 800km. We plan to lift the restrictions on warhead weight through negotiations with the U.S. next year."
"Is it possible to develop a solid-fuel launch vehicle under private leadership?"
"Not yet. It exceeds the 800km range, so it is impossible in Korea."
Taesik realized that it was impossible to develop a launch vehicle using solid fuel in South Korea due to the ROK-U.S. Missile Guidelines, and he decided not to postpone the launch vehicle project he had not yet started any longer.
"It's only impossible in Korea, right?"
Lieutenant General Choi, having learned through his connections that Starlink Communication was interested in developing launch vehicle technology using solid fuel, gave Taesik a specific answer.
"Yes. It is only impossible in the Republic of Korea."
As Taesik finished his questions, other defense industry representatives began asking about content that would bring them profit. The three Starlink CEOs also judged the fields to bid on while taking notes on the areas their respective companies would handle. Meanwhile, the representatives of the maneuver firepower sector raised their hands.
"Most of the mentions were only in the detection and missile fields; there was no mention of the development of ground forces. Why did you call us?"
"Sigh! I must have been out of it. The power enhancement for the existing K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, and armored vehicles is also scheduled to be included this time."
The defense industry representatives weighed the pros and cons, took what they could get, and left the conference room. Taesik and the three CEOs moved to another spot to organize the details of their participation in the Three-Axis System.