The Switzerland-Korea Committee and the Swiss Group for the Study of the Juche Idea in a joint statement on Mar. 17 said the DPRK is scheduled to launch a working satellite to mark the centenary of the birth of President Kim Il Sung.

It went on:

The Kwangmyongsong-3, an earth observation satellite, is to be lifted off by carrier rocket Unha-3 between April 12 and 16.

The DPRK set the flight route of the satellite to be safe so that the neighboring countries would not be affected by the carrier rocket debris.

The satellite is manufactured 100 percent by the efforts and indigenous technology of the DPRK.

The satellite launch would demonstrate the economic, scientific and technological potentials of socialist Korea and imbue the Koreans with great national pride.

No sanctions of the U.S.-led imperialists can ever check the DPRK's economic prosperity and scientific and technological progress.

The Iceland-DPRK Friendship and Cultural Society expressed full support for the DPRK's planned satellite launch in a statement on March 20.