PYONGYANG, North Korea, April 12 (UPI) -- North Korea doesn't care what members of the international community think about its plans to use a rocket to send a satellite into orbit, an official said.
North Korea, during negotiations in Beijing this year, agreed to place a ban on long-range missile tests and nuclear activity in exchange for substantial food assistance from the United States. Shortly thereafter, Pyongyang announced plans to send an Earth observation satellite into orbit using a long-range rocket.
North Korea displayed the rocket to foreign journalists to allay international concerns. Some governments said North Korea's plans violate various U.N. Security Council Resolutions banning such activity.
"We don't really care about the opinions from the outside," Paek Chang Ho, head of satellite control at the Korean Committee for Space Technology, was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying. "This is critical in order to develop our national economy."
North Korea early this week said the satellite would gather information on forestry, natural disasters, crop estimates and weather.
The launch plans came as reports surfaced that North Korea may be planning to test a nuclear device underground in coordination with the rocket's deployment.
The launch would likely take place during the weekend as part of a national commemoration for North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.
