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Astral Starts Drilling on the Bear Creek Gold Prospect, North
Carolina
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Vancouver, British Columbia; Astral Mining Corporation (TSX-V AST)
("Astral" or "the Company") and Joint Venture partner Gold Summit
Corporation (TSX-V GSM), have started diamond drilling at the Bear
Creek Prospect in North Carolina, testing a large gold in soil and rock
chip anomaly approximately 400 metres long and 100 metres wide. Three
core holes, totalling 1000 metres, are planned to drill across the NE
trending anomaly to intersect un-weathered volcanic host rocks.

The anomaly is defined by rock chip grab sample assays between 500 and
800 ppb (0.5-0.8 g/t) gold with high of 6 g/t gold. Soil values range
between 50 ppb and 200 ppb gold and compare favourably with the 60 ppb
gold soil anomaly that defined the southern ore zone at Ridgeway, a 1.7
million ounce deposit in South Carolina discovered in 1980.

The drill rig will then move to the Saluda Prospect in South Carolina
to drill down dip of high grade gold mineralization intersected last
summer. Grades of 14.4 g/t, 7.8 g/t and 17.8 g/t gold over intersected
widths of 2.16, 1.95 and 1.98 metres, respectively, were reported from
shallow-dipping, massive quartz veins hosted by island arc volcanic and
sedimentary rocks.

A consultant to the Carolina Joint Venture, Ronald D McDaniel, BSc.,
MSc., a registered Professional Geologist in the State of North
Carolina is designated as the "Qualified Person" supervising the
technical work under National Instrument 43-101 guidelines.

The Joint Venture allows Astral to acquire a 51% interest in any
property within the Saluda Area and the Bear Creek Area in North
Carolina after expenditures of US $300,000. Thereafter, Astral may
earn a 70% interest in a designated prospect by completing a
feasibility study. An 80% interest can subsequently be earned by
placing a mine into production.

Astral Mining Corporation, a member of the Grosso Group, is a
Canadian-based company engaged in the exploration and development of
precious metal properties in North America. By focusing on exploration
in mining-friendly districts, the Company minimizes the political and
social risks encountered in many other parts of the world. With a new
gold discovery at the Company's Jumping Josephine Gold Project in
Southern British Columbia, and an experienced technical team and
seasoned management, Astral is poised to leverage this expertise into
early exploration success. Further details on Astral Mining Corporation
and its high-quality portfolio of exploration projects can be found at
www.astralmining.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Manfred Kurschner"

Mr. Manfred Kurschner, President & CEO

For further information on Astral please contact Manfred Kurschner,
President & CEO, at 1-800-901-0058 or 604-687-1828 or by email at
info@astralmining.com

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This
news release includes certain "forward looking statements" within the
meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Without limitation, statements regarding potential
mineralization and resources, exploration results, and future plans and
objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve
various degrees of risk. The following are important factors that
could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements: changes
in the world wide price of mineral commodities, general market
conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risks associated
with development, construction and mining operations, the uncertainty
of future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional
capital.
2008 Number 2

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Copyright (c) 2008 ASTRAL MINING CORPORATION (AST) All rights
reserved. For more information visit our website at
http://www.astralmining.com/ or send mailto:info@astralmining.com
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