Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, arrived in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, a major industrial city in the Far Eastern Region of the Russian Federation, to visit the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant.
Displayed in electric signs in various places of the City of Komsomolsk-on-Amur were letters reading “Welcome Comrade President of the State Affairs of the DPRK” and the city was in a warm welcoming atmosphere to greet Comrade Kim Jong Un.
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un arrived at Komsomolsk-on-Amur Railway Station on the morning of September 15.
He was courteously greeted at the station by Alexandr Kozlov, minister of Natural Resources and Ecology, Mikhail Degtyarev, governor of the Khabarovsk Territory Administration, and Alexandr Zhornik, mayor of Komsomolsk-on-Amur of Russia.
Russian women in national costume presented him with bread and salt according to the Russian custom.
Kim Jong Un was presented with a fragrant bouquet by a lovely child.
He warmly waved back to the Russian children fluttering the national flags of the two countries.
Being guided by Russian leading officials, he headed for the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant.
Accompanying him were Choe Son Hui, foreign minister of the DPRK, Marshals of the Korean People’s Army Ri Pyong Chol and Pak Jong Chon, Kang Sun Nam, minister of National Defence of the DPRK, O Su Yong and Pak Thae Song, secretaries of the WPK Central Committee, General Kim Kwang Hyok, commander of the Air Force of the KPA, and other senior officials and suite members.
The Komsomolsk-on-Amur Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant, founded in 1934, made a great contribution to defeating fascism during the past Great Patriotic War by producing various kinds of planes, including long-range bombers. It is the largest Su-type fighter jet manufacturer in Russia and a pivotal base of the Russian defence industry and air-transport service industry producing various fighters, including the fifth-generation fighter jet Su-57, and airliners.
Kim Jong Un was greeted at the plant by Denis Mantrov, deputy prime minister and concurrently minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Yuri Slusari, general director of the Russian Air Production Complex, and Alexandr Pekarsh, manager of the plant.
A woman employee presented a bouquet to Kim Jong Un welcoming him to the plant.
Employees of the plant warmly greeted him with boundless respect and reverence.
Being briefed by the manager on the plant, Kim Jong Un went round several places of the plant, including the designing institute, fighter jet fuselage assembly shop, wing production shop, painting shop and airliner assembly shop.
Looking at the photos of Chairman Kim Jong Il who visited the plant 21 years ago, displayed at worksites of the plant, he recollected with deep reverence the brilliant career and exploits of the Chairman who contributed undying devotion and efforts to the development of the DPRK-Russia friendship.
He met test pilots at the fighter jet fuselage assembly shop and got on Su-57 to hear a detailed explanation of the technical specifications and flight performance of the fifth-generation fighter jet.
He mounted an airliner produced by the plant to learn about its performance and watched the test flight of a Su-35 fighter jet. He highly appreciated the officials, scientists, technicians and workers of the plant for making a great contribution to the development of the country’s air industry by achieving excellent successes in production with highly advanced technology and strong mental power.
Saying that he was deeply impressed by the rich independent potential and modernity of the Russian aircraft manufacturing industry and its ceaseless enterprising efforts toward new goals, he sincerely hoped that the plant would make sustained development by achieving higher production growth in the future.
He had a souvenir photo taken with the accompanying officials of the two countries in front of Su-27 and Su-30 fighter jets on display in the compound of the plant.
Yuri Slusari hosted a luncheon welcoming him to the plant.
The deputy prime minister and concurrently minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and the manager of the plant, in their speeches at the luncheon, expressed deep thanks to Kim Jong Un for highly appreciating the production success of the plant, saying that his visit injected vitality into the development and production of new-generation aircraft.
Saying that Kim Jong Un added another glorious page to the history of development of the DPRK-Russia relations by visiting the time-honoured plant, Ri Pyong Chol in his reply speech expressed the belief that the officials and employees of the plant would make greater contributions to strengthening the country’s defence capability under the leadership of President Putin.
The luncheon proceeded in a warm and amicable atmosphere.
After the luncheon, Kim Jong Un expressed thanks to the officials of the plant for their kind guidance and hospitality and left his autograph in the visitor’s book – “Witnessing the rapid development of Russia’s aviation technology and its gigantic potential 2023. 9. 15 Kim Jong Un.”
He was presented with souvenir gifts by the deputy prime minister and concurrently minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the governor of the Khabarovsk Territory Administration and the general director of the Russian Air Production Complex.
Before leaving the plant, he met and congratulated the test pilot on his admirable flight and had a significant picture taken with him against the background of a Su-35 fighter jet.
He expressed sincere regard for Russia’s aviation technology undergoing rapid development, outpacing the outside potential threats, and wished the plant success in its future development.
That afternoon, he left for the next destination, being given a warm send-off by Russian officials.
KCNA
