[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] The head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has drawn attention after publicly saying the agency has video of an unidentified flying object that cannot be explained. He did not claim it was evidence of extraterrestrial life, but said the possibility that such life exists in the universe is very high, even if humanity has simply not discovered it yet.
According to foreign media outlets, including the Daily Mail, Jared Isaacman, who took office as NASA chief in December last year, appeared on a podcast recently and said, "Some of the space footage NASA has obtained includes objects that cannot be explained with the data available today."
He said, "President Trump is also taking a very active stance on this issue," and added, "We have analyzed the footage we have secured, but we still do not know exactly what it is."
He went on to say, "I think there is a strong possibility that we could reach the conclusion that life exists throughout the universe and that it is far more common than we think."
Isaacman, however, drew a line at claims that the U.S. government has secured UFO debris or the bodies of extraterrestrial beings. He said he has never personally seen such evidence or information.
His remarks are drawing even more attention because they came after President Trump ordered the release of government documents related to UFOs. This year, the U.S. Department of Defense released thousands of pages of documents, including NASA materials, photos and audio records, but no decisive evidence proving the existence of extraterrestrial life has emerged yet.
NASA chief Jared Isaacman also explained that the reason exploration of the Solar System is one of NASA's core missions is to answer the fundamental question of whether we are alone in the universe. He said, "There is no reason to dislike the topic of UFOs," adding, "On the contrary, I find it very interesting. That is also why NASA exists."
He also said that the existence of life in space does not mean human space exploration becomes an act of invading other planets.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
