North Korea launched its space program in the 1970s and began construction of its first spaceport in the 1980s.
North Korea is developing new space technologies and plans to launch several reconnaissance satellites this year, said deputy head of the National Aerospace Technology Administration Pak Kyong Su.
The space agency official added that the aerospace industry is crucial for the DPRK in terms of geopolitical standing and economic development. Pyongyang plans to use satellites in agriculture and disaster prevention, as well as for military purposes such as keeping an eye on the activities of North Korea’s adversaries, including the US, Japan and South Korea.
28 November 2023, 21:39 GMT
«The successful launch of the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 last year has brought about substantial progress in national defense capabilities and several launches are expected for this year as well,» he said.
In early September 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was warmly welcomed by Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome – a Russian spaceport in the Far East. Kim praised Russia’s role in taming space and showed interest in Russia’s cutting-edge technologies.
«The glory of Russia as the country of the first space conquerors will never fade,» he wrote in the book for honored visitors.
When journalists asked Putin whether Russia would help North Korea with satellite technologies, the Russian president replied that space cooperation was the very reason he and his counterpart had come to Vostochny Cosmodrome.
