Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Permanent Mission to the United Nations
820 Second Avenue, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10017
Tel: (212) 972-3105/3106 Fax: (212) 972-3154
Press Release
No. 43
July 16, 1999 (Juche 88)
DPRK FM spokesman clarifies its stand on satellite launch
Pyongyang, July 15 (KCNA)—The spokesman of the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea today gave the following answer to the question put by
KCNA as regards the recent mixed fuss in the United States over the issue of our
resumption of the satellite launch: As already reported, the United States claimed that
our satellite should be halted as it poses sort of "threat" to it and is
undisguisedly calling for strongly reacting to our satellite launch.
As for the satellite launch, this belongs to the legitimate right of an independent
sovereign state. The satellite launch aimed at a scientific research for the peaceful
development of the space allows no one to say this or that of it. Many countries existing
on this earth in the age of ultramodern science and technology are aspiring after an
extensive scientific research into the outer space and launching necessary satellites.
We neither launch a satellite at anybody’s dictate nor stop it at anybody’s
advise. It is our consistent stand to launch a satellite any time according to our
decision when we deem it necessary and when we are prepared for it scientifically and
technologically. No one has the right to fault our satellite launch, saying this or that
of it.
