North Korea has declared the intention of pursuing space development projects on the occasion of the International Day of Human Space Flight.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency said on Wednesday that the basic principles of international space law confirm that space is the commonwealth of all humans and is open to development and use by all countries.

Stressing that the universe is not monopolized or possessed by one country, the KCNA said that it is the steadfast objective of the North's ruling party and government to build the country into a world-class space power.

The outlet added that the country's space development projects are vibrantly making progress in line with the spirit of the Outer Space Treaty, which stipulates that a sovereign state has the right to peacefully use outer space.

The report correlates to the announcement by North Korea last December that preparations for the regime’s first military reconnaissance satellite will be completed by April 2023.

The International Day of Human Space Flight is celebrated annually on April 12 to mark the first human space flight by Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union, in 1961.

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