Pak Kyong Su, vice general director of the National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA), told KCNA on March 31 as regards the DPRK's implementation of the goal for space exploration on the occasion of the founding anniversary of the NATA which supervises and controls the space exploration of the country in a unified way.

The NATA, founded on April 1 2013 in accordance with the space development policy of the Workers' Party of Korea and the DPRK government, has steadily guided the country's space conquering activities for over ten years, he said, and went on:

In the period, we stepped up the work for introducing the application technology into the build-up of national defence and economy and the improvement of the people's living standards, as we made satellites multi-functional and high-performance and solved many technological problems related to satellite control and operation in our own way.

Last year, the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 was successfully launched as part of the efforts for attaining the immediate and long-term goals of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s policy of conquering space. As a result, marked progress has been made in bolstering up the national defence capability and this year, too, the launching of several reconnaissance satellites is expected.

Scientists and technologists have made a series of successes in the research into core space science and technology with their extraordinary creative spirit and practical ability.

The development of space industry is of great significance in building a powerful socialist country where the rapid development is firmly guaranteed by up-to-date science and technology and, accordingly, the need for space exploration and use is increasing as the days go by.

For the accelerated development of space, the DPRK government aims at carrying out advanced and valuable space development projects in the light of the strategic interests of the state on a priority basis at the present stage and building a space power by steadily expanding the successes.

In keeping with setting it as a priority task for the state space programme to possess weather observation satellite, earth observation satellite and communications satellite, the NATA is pushing ahead with the work to apply space sci-tech achievements in various sectors including agriculture, fisheries, meteorological observation, communications, resource exploration, land management and disaster prevention.

The work for dynamically pressing on with the growth of space industry is brisk in all fields under the nationwide, all-society and all-people concern and support.

Seminars on space science and technology, which serve as important occasions in developing space science and technology, have been regularly held to consolidate the successes made in the field of space science and technology and to open up a new scientific field of key importance in space development and use.

Faculties and departments related to space including aerospace, space observation and satellite communications have been established at higher education units and reserve creative talents are trained to make a positive contribution to the development of the country's space industry.

Institutes and laboratories specializing in developing various kinds of working satellites were established at Kim Il Sung University and Kim Chaek University of Technology and research units related to space were formed at the State Academy of Sciences and universities to step up research into making thorough preparations for disastrous weather, effectively protecting and using the resources of the country and accelerating the scientific development of the national economy.

We will surely build a space power by putting sustained spurs to the independent development of space, bearing in mind that the growth of the space industry is a key element and a demonstration of the comprehensive national power in providing a shortcut to securing the position of a world-class economic and sci-tech power.