North Korea Plans to Launch Several Spy Satellites This Year, Says Deputy Director of Aerospace Agency

The Deputy Director of North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) has announced that the country anticipates launching several reconnaissance satellites this year, following last year’s launch of Manrikyong-1.

In an interview with Korean Central News Agency on March 31, commemorating the establishment of NADA (April 1, 2013), Deputy Director Park Kyung Soo stated, “Last year, with the successful launch of the reconnaissance satellite Manrikyong-1, we made significant progress in strengthening national defense, and we foresee launching several reconnaissance satellites this year as well.”

NADA, which put Manrikyong-1 into orbit on November 21 last year, had previously mentioned that they would launch several reconnaissance satellites in a short period, and Kim Jong Un, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, had stated at the end of last year’s party meeting that they would launch three military reconnaissance satellites this year.

Deputy Director Park stated that over the past decade, NADA has achieved consecutive successes in key space science and technology research projects, including the realization of multifunctional and high-performance artificial earth satellites, solving technical issues related to satellite control and operation, actively promoting projects to introduce application technology to defense construction and economic construction.

North Korea’s goal for space development is to, “at this stage, execute advanced and valuable space development plans from the perspective of the state’s strategic interests, steadily expand the results, and establish ourselves as a space power,” he explained.

He also introduced that they are “actively promoting projects to introduce space science and technology achievements into various sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, meteorological observation, communication, resource exploration, land management, and disaster prevention, in line with our set goal of possessing practical meteorological observation satellites, earth observation satellites, and communication satellites.”

North Korea regularly holds space science and technology debates to develop the space industry and establish space-related departments and majors in higher education units, such as space aviation, space observation, and satellite communication, to nurture creative and talented individuals.

He added that each specialized research center in a different field has been established at Kim Il Sung University and Kimchaek University of Technology, and various research units are formed in the Academy of Sciences of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and other universities, conducting the research project.