Attending the rally were senior party, army and state officials and at least 100,000 citizens from all walks of life in the capital.

Choe Thae Bok, alternate member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, made a report at the rally.

The reporter said that the successful satellite launch marked a great auspicious event of the nation as it demonstrated the dignity and invincible might of Songun Korea and a historic event which heralded the victory in the cause of building a great prosperous powerful nation.

He said:

The satellite launch clearly showed the might of the Juche-based industry the Korean people have built by the sweat of their brows for several decades under the leadership of the great leaders and the great party and the scientific and technological level of the country. It also proved that their cause of building a thriving nation is sure to triumph.

The satellite launch meant a gun salute heralding the advent of the era of a thriving nation at a time when all the people are out in the general advance to open the gate to a great prosperous powerful socialist nation in 2012, the centenary of birth of President Kim Il Sung. Herein lies the great significance of the launch.

The DPRK succeeded in launching the satellite despite the enemies' unprecedented political and military pressure and desperate obstructions.

This was a shining fruition of the Songun revolutionary leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Il who exerted utmost efforts for bolstering the country's political and military potentials and developing science and technology, foreseeing a rosy future of the country.

The reporter said that the successful launch of the satellite would be always recorded in the history of the country as a great auspicious event of Kim Il Sung's nation as it laid a historic milestone in the development of the nation's science and technology.

He called for translating the Party's plan for building a thriving nation into reality earlier than scheduled, winning one victory after another on all fronts of socialist construction by effecting fresh great revolutionary upswing.

Noting that the situation still remains tense in the country due to the hostile policy of the hard-line conservative forces of the U.S. towards the DPRK and the moves of the south Korean warmongers, he underscored the need to thoroughly establish the traits of attaching importance to military affairs throughout the society, give priority to the development of the defence industry and increase the country's defence capability in every way true to the Party's Songun leadership.

The report was followed by the speeches made by representatives of scientists, workers, agricultural workers, youth and students.

The speakers warmly congratulated the scientists, technicians and workers for having accurately put the homemade satellite Kwangmyongsong-2 into orbit thereby heralding the advent of the era of a thriving nation.

They stressed that the successful satellite launch signified a great historic event that dealt a telling blow at the arrogant U.S.-led imperialist powers keen to realize their hegemonic ambition, talking a lot about "their scientific and technological superiority" and proved the tremendous might of the servicepersons' and people's national self-esteem and independence.

They vowed to bring about a signal innovation and a great leap forward in the building of a thriving nation true to the Party's leadership.