hankyoreh

apparently a Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-62 made in the 1960s with the words “Democratic Republic of Korea” printed in Korean on the fuselage

By Kim Oi-hyun, staff reporter

North Korea’s state-run media, including the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, reported images on May 10 of leader Kim Jong-un descending from what is believed to be his official aircraft with wife Ri Sol-ju for a troop inspection.

with a large red star emblazoned on the tail wing.　

The aircraft, which appeared to be a Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-62 made in the 1960s, had the words “Democratic Republic of Korea” printed in Korean on the fuselage, with a large red star emblazoned on the tail wing. The model was different from Air Koryo passenger aircraft, which bear a North Korean flag along with the name of the airline.

“It’s the first time we’ve seen this kind of aircraft, so there’s a good chance it’s Kim’s official aircraft,” said a government official on condition of anonymity.

Neither of Kim’s predecessors, grandfather Kim Il-sung or father Kim Jong-il, were ever shown boarding or disembarking from aircraft.

Other video footage and photographs taken the same day indicate that Kim was attending the Korean People’s Army Aviation and Combat Flight Contest Among Air Commanding Officers, a kind of air show. South Korean government officials believe the event was held on May 9 at the Onchon Airport in South Pyongan Province.

“It seems like there was clearly a goal of stepping up inspections of the combat readiness posture,” said Chang Yong-seok, senior researcher at the Seoul National University Institute for Peace and Unification Studies. “But the fact that he took an official aircraft to visit a training field near Pyongyang, and did the kind of inspection that you typically see when a foreign head of state is visiting or when there’s an overseas tour, suggests that he also wanted to make a public show of being head of state.”

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