After joining the Antarctic Treaty in Juche 76 (1987), the DPRK made two rounds of Antarctic expedition from January 1990 to October 1991.

The first expedition team arrived in the Antarctic on May 5, 1990 to make a survey of the area and choose the site of an Antarctic scientific research base.

It also set up a signpost with letters "First Antarctic Expedition Team of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" at a place 67 degrees, 55 minutes and 23 seconds south latitude and 44 degrees, 32 minutes and 10 seconds east longitude.

The second expedition took place from October 16, 1990 to October 4, 1991.

The second team established a scientific base at the same place on December 22, 1990, naming it "Season-1".

The base covered 157.6 square meters at that time.

The team stayed there for more than a hundred days to study the weather, coastal ice, aurora and geological features of the area and collect samples of minerals, stones, animals and plants.

It also expedited other places to choose the site of a fixed scientific base and erected a signpost carved with the name of the country and a picture of its flag at a place 69 degrees, 22 minutes and 28 seconds south latitude and 76 degrees, 23 minutes and 30 seconds east longitude.