LIG Nex1, KAIST, HHI sign MOU for unmanned marine system partnership

South Korea's defense contractor LIG Nex1 Co. took part in the "2022 Yi Sun-sin Defense Industry Exhibition" held at the Jinhae Naval Academy on Wednesday and announced the next day that it signed an "agreement for technical exchange and joint research on unmanned maritime systems" with KAIST and Hyundai Heavy Industries Co.

The event was attended by key officials from each organization, including Kwon Byung-hyun, vice president of LIG Nex1, Lee Seung-seop, vice president of KAIST, and Joo Won-ho, vice president of Hyundai Heavy Industries.

Each organization plans to build an organic cooperative system for research on unmanned surface boats, unmanned submersibles, and marine manned and unmanned complex systems, which are the core components of unmanned marine systems.

Through this agreement, the three entities will seek cooperation in the following areas: mid- to long-term industry-academia joint research, joint planning and proposal of research agendas in the defense, public, and civilian sectors; mutual exchange of and educational support for research personnel in the area of unmanned maritime technology; mutual exchange of technical advice and information; and the use of each other's research facilities.

LIG Nex1 will establish the "Navy Sea GHOST" system that the Korean Navy is pursuing through the synergy between technological know-how in the field of unmanned marine systems such as unmanned surface vehicles, Hyundai Heavy Industries' manned ship design and construction technology, and KAIST's artificial intelligence (AI) technology-related key research staff. The company plans to take the lead in realizing manned and unmanned complex systems.

Kim Ji-chan, CEO of LIG Nex1, said, "We expect that the accumulated research experience and technological know-how of leading companies such as LIG Nex1 and Hyundai Heavy Industries will create synergies in developing Korea's unmanned maritime systems by meeting KAIST's excellent research staff."

Write to Ik-Hwan Kim at lovepen@hankyung.com