N. Korea says space program 'indispensable' for national development

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, along with his daughter Ju-ae, visits the National Aerospace Development Administration in Pyongyang in this photo provided by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, April 18. Yonhap

North Korea said Thursday the pursuit of space development projects is "indispensable" for national development in what appears to be efforts to justify its potential launch of a military spy satellite.

Mentioning North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent visit to the state-run space development agency, state media carried an interview with the country's environment and telecommunications vice ministers and a ranking weather agency official to highlight the need to build "application satellites."

"Building the space industry is an indispensable project for national development and the improvement of the people's lives," they said in the interview carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

Jon Chol-su, vice minister of the environment protection ministry, said the country's land management and anti-disaster efforts will likely gain traction if more application satellites are launched into space and transmit real-time data.

The North's leader Kim instructed officials to prepare for launching its first military spy satellite as planned, during his visit to the National Aerospace Development Administration last week. The North has vowed to complete preparations for the launch by the end of this month.

He also emphasized the need to "set it as a main thrust to possess weather and earth observation and communication satellites."

Some observers had forecast the North to launch the satellite ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the United States. But the secretive regime has not staged provocative acts since its April 13 launch of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). (Yonhap)