North Korean leader ‘deeply impressed’ by Russian fighter jet industry

ANKARA

North Korean leader Kim Jung-un praised the Russian aircraft manufacturing industry and said he was impressed by its fighter jets, state-run media said Saturday.

Kim visited the Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur on Friday after he arrived in the major industrial city in the Far Eastern Region of Russia, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"Deeply impressed by the rich independent potential and modernity of the Russian aircraft manufacturing industry and its ceaseless enterprising efforts toward new goals," the agency quoted Kim during his visit.

Kim met test pilots aboard a Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet and watched a test flight, it said.

North Korea’s foreign and defense ministers along with military generals accompanied Kim.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Mantrov welcomed Kim as he visited different areas of the plant, including the design institute, fighter jet fuselage assembly, wing production, painting and airliner assembly shops.

"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," said KCNA.

Kim met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday at the Vostochny spaceport before traveling Saturday to the far eastern city of Vladivostok where he met Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, according to Russian media.

Kim visited the Knevichi airfield with Shoigu in Vladivostok, where he was briefed about the Su-34 supersonic fighter-bomber, Su-30SM, Su-35S fighters and Su-25SM3 attack aircraft, said the TASS news agency.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid