DPRK says satellite launch won't harm region

PYONGYANG - The scheduled launch of a satellite by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will not harm the region and neighboring countries, an official from the Korean Committee for Space Technology said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference attended by foreign journalists, Ryu Gum Chol, deputy director of the Committee's space development department, said the first two stages of the rocket, which will carry the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite, will be dropped in the designated orbits.

Meanwhile, he said the exact date of the launch has not been set yet as the preparations for the launch are still under way.

The 100-kilogram satellite will be installed atop the Unha-3 carrier rocket on Tuesday, Ryu said.

The DPRK official also dismissed accusation of the satellite launch as a cover for missile test, saying the 91-ton three-stage rocket doesn't have the same "attack power" as a ballistic missile.

The DPRK last month announced its plan to launch the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite, an earth observation satellite, between April 12 and 16 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of DPRK founder Kim Il-sung

Ryu also said that foreign journalists will be invited to visit the space control center in Pyongyang on Wednesday, the first time in the country's history.

Some 70 foreign reporters visited the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in the DPRK's northwest on Sunday.

The satellite launch is part of a five-year space development plan, he said, adding that the DPRK will develop its own space station and other launch vehicles in the future.