On June 21, 2022, South Korea's domestically developed launch vehicle, Nuri, succeeded in its second flight test, launched from Naro Space Center. Nuri placed a performance verification satellite precisely into its target orbit, and 42 minutes after launch, this satellite successfully communicated with Korea's Jang Bogo Antarctic Research Station. With this, South Korea became a nation with independent space transport capability, achieved without foreign technical assistance.
The first launch of the Naro rocket in 2009, described in Story 6, did not reach complete success. Thirteen years later, at the very same site, a rocket built entirely with domestic technology achieved complete success. The 13 years between these two launches were years spent building up independent space technology in the wake of failure. That Sorokdo Island, which carries a history of human rights violations, and Naro Space Center, which symbolizes the present of cutting-edge space technology, coexist within the same county shows just how many different eras Goheung is living through at once.