• By
  • Alastair Gale
Associated Press
Posters in Pyongyang show slogans illustrating North Korea’s main policies in this Feb. 11, 2012 photo.

The biggest date on the North Korean calendar this year is the 100th anniversary of the birth of the nation’s founder, Kim Il Sung, on April 15.

It’s expected to be marked with a wide range of festivities, and possibly a rocket launch.

On Friday, North Korea said it plans to launch a polar-orbiting earth observation satellite between April 12 and 16 from North Pyongan province in the north-west of the country to celebrate the birth of Mr. Kim.

In March 2009, North Korea launched a multi-stage rocket that it said delivered a satellite into orbit. That rocket passed over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean, drawing widespread condemnation for violating U.N. Security Council resolutions imposed on North Korea’s missile testing program.

North Korean state media said on Friday a successor satellite, called Kwangmyongsong-3, would be launched after the country developed “satellites indispensable for the country’s economic development in line with the government’s policy for space development and peaceful use.”

The Korean Central News Agency said the rocket would head south but the flight path would ensure that rocket debris wouldn’t have any impact on neighboring countries.

North Korea said it launched the first Kwangmyongsong satellite successfully in 1998.

Regarding the launch planned for April, North Korea said it would “strictly abide by relevant international regulations and usage concerning the launch of scientific and technological satellites for peaceful purposes and ensure maximum transparency, thereby contributing to promoting international trust and cooperation in the field of space scientific researches and satellite launches.”

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