The DPRK amended and supplemented the Law on Aerospace Development at the 21st Plenary Meeting of the 14th Standing Committee of its Supreme People’s Assembly on August 7, 2022, thus providing a legal framework for accelerating the construction of the country’s space industry.

Jang Song Chol, dean of a faculty of Kim Il Sung University, gave the following answer to a question raised by KCNA as regards the significance and mission of the Law of the DPRK on Aerospace Development and the study of and education in space laws in the country:

The main mission of the law on aerospace development is to contribute to developing science, technology and the economy, improving the people’s living standards and strengthening the national defence capabilities by establishing a strict system and order in space development.

The DPRK has directed efforts to the study of and education in space laws as part of its effort to thoroughly defend its legitimate right to build a space power while coordinating the development and use of the outer space in accordance with the internationally and nationally recognized laws.

After the successful launch of its first artificial satellite in 1998, the Law of the DPRK on Aerospace Development was adopted amid the intensified work for comprehensively analyzing and evaluating international treaties and conventions, and lectures on space laws began at the Faculty of Law of Kim Il Sung University.

The lectures deal with the essence, origin and development of the international space law, legal status of outer space, moon and other celestial bodies, space flight, protection of space environment, damage caused by space objects and responsibility for it in connection with the Law of the DPRK on Aerospace Development.

In particular, the lectures focus on making the students deeply understand the principles the DPRK adheres to in the development and use of the outer space and practical issues for firmly defending the sovereign rights of the state in the outer space.

The aerospace science faculty has trained scientific and technical personnel who will shoulder the country’s efforts for conquering the outer space. It teaches the students the essential legal items including the issue of the boundary between the territorial airspace and the universe and the issues arising in manufacturing and launching satellites and carrier rockets and registering frequencies.

We will train a larger number of talented people with a wealth of knowledge in the field of space laws, true to the decisions of the plenary meetings of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and thus more firmly defend the legitimate right of our state.

KCNA