A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is launched, carrying 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit in Cape Canaveral, Fla, U.S., May 6, 2024. Reuters-Yonhap

KT, a major Korean telecommunications company, said Thursday it will join hands with defense firm LIG Nex1 to develop propriety technologies for homegrown low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop core technologies for LEO satellites, including a sixth generation (6G) satellite communications system and quantum cryptography, according to KT.

KT said the initial agreement was made amid growing calls for the development of homegrown LEO satellites to better protect national security as foreign players, such as SpaceX and Kuiper Systems, are dominating the global market.

"Through this collaboration, KT will show the evolution of military communication systems by expanding the application of 6G technology to satellite communications as well as terrestrial networks," Lee Jong-sik, head of KT's Future Network Laboratory, said.

Kim Do-kyung, head of LIG Nex1's C4I research institute, also said it will work to build a "fast" and "safe" military communications system through its collaboration with KT.

"The importance of advanced technology cooperation between the private sector and the military has grown as 5G and LEO satellite communications technologies are rapidly becoming more advanced and sophisticated," Kim added. (Yonhap)