President Moon Jae-in has celebrated South Korea’s new environmental monitoring satellite after it reached its fixed orbit weeks after launch. 

Moon posted a message on his social media account on Monday, marking the occasion, although it was overshadowed by the novel coronavirus outbreak. The president said the feat deserves public attention as a pride-inducing milestone for the country. 

He declared South Korea as the first country in the world capable of constantly monitoring atmospheric and oceanic changes in certain regions.

His words came after the Chollian-2B environmental satellite reached its fixed orbit some 36-thousand kilometers above the equator last Friday. Launched from French Guiana on February 18, the satellite will monitor the movement of fine dust and other air pollutants in the East Asian region at a fixed position. 

Noting the country’s ability to determine causes of fine dust and its significantly enhanced response to dust issues, Moon said constant monitoring of marine pollution, particularly with regard to how its created and moves, will also play a significant role in preserving marine environments. 

He also mentioned the Seoul's plan to share related information gathered through the satellite with other Asian countries, and expressed hope it will help form pan-region responses to related environmental issues. 

The Chollian-2B, a twin of the Chollian-2A satellite launched in December 2018, is designed to send real-time data on ocean conditions starting from October and atmospheric information from 2021.