Kim Jong Un Guides Combat Flight Contest among Air Commanding Officers

Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, visited the operational airfield in the western region together with Ri Sol Ju to guide “the Combat Flight Contest among Air Commanding Officers of the Air and Anti-Air Force of the KPA – 2014”.

Kim Jong Un arrived at the airfield by air at 9:00 a.m.

He reviewed a guard of honor.

KPA Air Force General Ri Pyong Chol, commander of the KPA Air and Anti-Air Force, made an opening address.

He said that the contest was the first significant training one in the history of the army building organized on the personal initiative of
Kim Jong Un before declaring the contest open.

Kim Jong Un gave an order to make sorties.

The contest was divided into a group of commanders of combined units and a group of commanders of units.

Kim Jong Un expressed his great satisfaction, watching with keen attention the courageous and skilled flight drill of air commanding officers.

At the end of the morning contest, he was invited to a field lunch arranged by the KPA Air and Anti-Air Force.

During leisure time after the lunch there were a performance of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the KPA Air and Anti-Air Force and a concert of the Military Band of the KPA to rev up the atmosphere of the contest.

The contest continued in the afternoon.

KPA Air Force Col. General O Kum Chol, vice-chief of the General Staff of the KPA, and other air commanding officers fully displayed their aeronautics cultivated in the past.

Kim Jong Un praised the air commanding officers for creditably performing their flight missions.

He said that the competition was organized to let the air commanding officers take the lead in the flight training under the slogan “Follow Me!” and thus make the air force intensify its training just as the anti-Japanese guerrillas did in Mt. Paektu.

He underlined the need for the commanding officers to acquire high combat aeronautics so that they may firmly prepare all pilots of the units as death-defying corps in the sky.

Points were shown and standings decided by the latest monitoring device.

Vice Marshal of the KPA Hwang Pyong So, director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, made a speech at an awarding ceremony.

He said that the holding of the competition with commanding officers of all flying units of the Air Force attending was a great bold decision which could be made only by the Supreme Commander who leads any formidable enemy by the nose and it represented the victory of his matchless pluck.

He announced the results of the competition.

Ri Il Chan, commander of Unit 858, Yu Hak Chol, commander of Unit 458, and Ri Myong Ho, commander of Unit 344, came first in the group standings.

Kim Jong Un personally awarded prizes to the successful air commanding officers and units.

He congratulated them on their successes and had a photo session with them.

The commander of the Air and Anti-Air Force of the KPA made a closing speech.

Kim Jong Un embarked on the plane, waving back to the enthusiastic cheers of the air commanding officers and the spectators.

He was accompanied by Hwang Pyong So, Pyon In Son, So Hong Chan, Jo Kyong Chol, Yun Tong Hyon, Ri Pyong Chol, Kim Yong Chol, O Kum Chol, Pak Jong Chon, and Jang Tong Un.

Among the spectators were Kim Ki Nam, Choe Ryong Hae, Kim Yo Jong and other senior officials of the party central committee and exemplary combat airmen of the Air and Anti-Air Force of the KPA.