Russia’s space agency, Rosaviacosmos, has announced a plan to build a space center in South Korea by the end of 2007.

A spokesman for the agency said Thursday that Seoul and Moscow had signed an agreement on constructing a small launching base for spaceships and satellites in South Korea. The spokesman said the plan is aimed at promoting South Korean interest in space exploration.

The announcement comes a month after President Roh Moo-hyun and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to bolster cooperation in aerospace industries as well as in energy and transportation sectors in a joint statement signed after their summit on September 21.