South Korea's presidential office said Tuesday that the launch of its first space rocket will be conducted as scheduled amid the mourning mood over late President Kim Dae-jung.

Lee Dong-kwan, spokesman for the presidential office, said in an official press briefing, "as for now, it has been decided to follow the prearranged schedule as it is a national event."

"As it was not like a festive event which would interfere with the mourning mood, the launch would be what the late president would want," the spokesman said.

The blastoff of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) was originally scheduled on July 30, but later had to be postponed twice due to technical issues.

Earlier in the day, another delay of the KSLV-1 launch was expected among local media due to the death of the ex-president.

In preparation for the firing, the rocket was moved to and set up on its launch pad on Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2009)