Construction has been completed on the Mugunghwa-6 satellite, which will replace the existing Mugunghwa-3 that will be decommissioned next year.

Korea Telecom (KT) says it is also prepared to have the satellite launched around December 25th.

Manufactured by French and American firms, the Mugunghwa-6 is equipped with the capabilities to relay high-definition broadcast services and 3-D programming.

The life span of the satellite has also been expanded to 15 years, 25 percent longer than the previous version of the satellite.

The KT network department chief says the December launch will pave the way for ushering in a satellite broadcast era that covers the entire Korean Peninsula.