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I’m tempted to simply reproduce in full a story by Eric Talmadge of the AP. The organization has been criticized for being a propaganda mouthpiece for the North Korean regime, but in this case, giving them enough rope was probably the most journalistically responsible thing one could do. Apart from adding the graphic above, there really is not much I can add. But here goes:
Hyon Kwang Il, director of scientific research at the National Aerospace Development Administration, North Korea’s version of NASA, told AP that “Even though the U.S. and its allies try to block our space development, our aerospace scientists will conquer space and definitely plant the flag of the DPRK on the moon.” Building on the existing satellite launch program, Hyon said that he would personally like to see the DPRK on the moon “within 10 years’ time.” He indicated that this was part of a larger effort “to do manned spaceflight and scientific experiments in space, make a flight to the moon and moon exploration and also exploration to other planets.”
Outside experts were not so sure. According the Markus Schiller, one of the foremost foreign analysts of North Korean rockets and missiles, “Judging from what I have seen so far with their space program, it will take North Korea about a decade or more to get to lunar orbit as best—if they really pursue this mission. My personal guess, however, is that they might try but they will fail, and we will not see a successful North Korean lunar orbiter for at least two decades, if ever.”
“Even though the U.S. and its allies try to block our space development, our aerospace scientists will conquer space and definitely plant the flag of the DPRK on the moon.” -Hyon Kwang Il, head of research at NADA.
Whatever. Hyon denied these efforts amounted to a North Korean attempt to militarize space: with North Korea already possessing ICBMs capable of striking the US, “there is no need for our state to use the space program for ballistic missile development.”
People used to complain about the World Bank providing loans to China while it was shooting satellites into orbit, but this would be even richer: Comrade Kim plants the DPRK flag on the moon while the National Coordinating Committee keeps bugging the World Food Program for aid.
I wonder how you say “Major Tom” in Korean?
