Pyongyang, March 11 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, inspected the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground.

Accompanying him were Kim Jong Sik, Jang Chang Ha and other leading officials of the munitions industry and national defence scientific research sectors and officials concerned of the National Aerospace Development Administration.

Going round different parts of the ground, the respected General Secretary set forth a target for modernizing it and the detailed orientation and ways for doing so.

He learned about and evaluated the present state of the ground, and advanced the task to modernize it on an expansion basis so that various rockets could be launched to carry multi-purpose satellites, including a military reconnaissance satellite, in the future. He also set forth the task for building some facilities in the launching ground.

To enable large carrier rockets to be launched there, he assigned the tasks for reconstructing on an expansion basis the launching ground zone and the facilities for the general assembly and trial gearing of rocket and for the trial gearing of satellite, establishing extra facilities for the injection and supply of fuel and modernizing parts of the launch control facility and major technical posts on an expansion basis.

He also gave detailed instructions as regards the matters arising in modernizing the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on an expansion basis, including the matters of expanding the capacity of the engine ground jet test site, ensuring the convenience of carrier rocket transport, improving the ecological environment around the launching ground and building a grandstand in the safe zone opposite to the launching ground.

He said that the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground is a place associated with the desire of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il for a space power and it is a significant place where our state successfully launched artificial satellites twice with its own efforts and technology, true to the lifetime intention of the President and the Chairman. And he stressed that it is the noble duty of our Party and space scientists and technicians in our era to turn the launching ground, associated with our state's great dream and ambition for a space power, into an ultramodern advanced base and a starting line of space conquest for the future suited to the prestige of the DPRK.

Encouraged by his teachings, the officials, scientists and technicians hardened their strong will to turn the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground into the best model suitable for the dignity and prestige of our state by devotedly carrying out the militant tasks set forth by the General Secretary, fully aware of their mission as space pioneers who should surely carry into practice the grand plan of the Party Central Committee for building a space power, true to the behest of the President and the Chairman. -0-

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