Pyongyang, March 6 (KCNA) -- Pak Kyong Su, vice-director of the National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA), was interviewed by KCNA on Sunday on occasion of the 14th anniversary of the DPRK's accession to the international outer space treaty.

He said:

On March 5 and 10, Juche 98 (2009), the DPRK acceded to the Outer Space Treaty (Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies) and the Registration Convention (Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space).

Accordingly, the DPRK, as a signatory to the Outer Space Treaty and the Registration Convention, was able to exercise the rights of a sovereign state in the exploration and use of outer space and its outer space activities came to be guaranteed by international law.

The Outer Space Treaty standardizes the basic principles of the international law on outer space, including the principle of making equal use of outer space including the moon and other celestial bodies, the principle of studying and using outer space for peaceful purposes and the principle of strengthening international cooperation in the development and use of outer space. The Registration Convention, an international treaty in the field of outer space activities, stipulates the issues related to the registration of objects launched into outer space.

The need for the development and use of outer space is growing with each passing day, and the international movement to achieve the sustained economic development and promote the well-being of people by using outer space is becoming more active.

In the DPRK, a satellite manufacturer and launcher, the development of outer space has been dynamically pushed ahead with under the unified guidance of the state and eye-opening successes are witnessed one after another.

The DPRK has made steady progress in the work to put the satellite on a multi-functional and high-performance basis and improve its reliability. It succeeded in developing high-thrust engine for carrier rocket and thus provided a sure guarantee for launching various kinds of satellites into relevant orbits.

The work to introduce the space sci-tech achievements into various fields including agriculture, fishery, meteorological observation, communication, natural resources exploration, land management and disaster prevention is getting brisk to give a strong impetus to the comprehensive development of socialist construction.

All these successes foretell the bright future of the DPRK's space development. -0-

www.kcna.kp (Juche112.3.6.)