North Korea recently issued a press release containing details of its National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) – ‘the country’s central guidance institution organizing all the space development projects’. International media were quick to deride the Administration’s new name and logo because they bear striking resemblance to that of its American counterpart, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). But in doing so, they missed the significance of the statements, which wasn’t particularly funny.

NADA, and its accompanying flashy logo, constitute a makeover of North Korea’s State Space Development Bureau, which was set up by the seventh session of the 12th