The Logo For North Korea's Space Agency Looks Like A Blatant Ripoff From NASA

NADA / NASA

North Korea's space agency has revealed its new logo, and it looks very similar to the logo of NASA, The Guardian reports.

The National Aerospace Development Administration, or NADA, showed off its new logo on state-run media, explaining it as a "symbol of a formal proof of the nature and mission" of the agency, according to the Rodong Sinmun.

Here's how Korea Central News Agency explained it:

The emblem of the NADA was recently instituted, which represents its character, mission, position and development prospects.

Seen in the lower part of the globe-shaped dark blue emblem are white-colored letters "Kukgaujugaebalkuk" (National Aerospace Development Administration) in Korean and in its upper part light blue-colored letters "DPRK" with the Great Bear above them. Printed in its middle are white-colored letters "NADA" in English.

Of course, there's no mention of the striking similarities between the NADA and NASA logos - both with blue globes, white lettering, and swooshed rings.

Also interesting is the rather unfortunate coincidence with the acronym usage of "Nada," - Spanish for "nothing" - that seems to be "precisely what the country's only successfully launched satellite is transmitting to Earth," as The Guardian's Peter Walker notes.

North Korea did successfully launch an object it called a satellite into orbit back in 2012, but experts did not pick up any signals from it, Wall Street Journal reports.

Pyongyang has claimed its space program is only for peaceful purposes.