North Korea’s Kim stresses air force’s role in nuclear war deterrence on its 80th anniversary
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae at the event to celebrate the air force's 80th anniversary on Nov 28.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
SEOUL - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un highlighted the air force’s role in exercising nuclear war deterrence as he celebrated its 80th anniversary along with his young daughter, state media reported on Nov 30.
Photos released by North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Mr Kim observing what appeared to be unmanned aircraft and mobile missile launchers among others.
North Korea has launched mass production of small, short-range First Person View (FPV) drones, as well as larger medium-range battlefield attack drones, a Ukrainian intelligence official told Reuters earlier.
Dressed in long leather coats, Mr Kim and his daughter watched an air show to mark the anniversary and toured a display of aircraft such as an airborne early-warning aircraft that North Korea unveiled earlier this year, state media photographs showed.
The country’s expectations for the air force which, “will play a role in the exercise of the nuclear war deterrent” are truly “great”, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) cited Mr Kim as saying.
“The air force should resolutely repulse and control all sorts of espionage acts and possible military provocations of the enemies,” Mr Kim said, according to KCNA.
He added that the air force would be given new strategic assets, without elaborating. REUTERS
