Kim Jong-un presents first North Korean female fighter pilots

Seoul, Nov 28 (IANS/EFE) North Korea has its first female fighter jet pilots and the country's leader Kim Jong-un supervised a flight exercise by them, state media reported Friday.

The media images showed a smiling Kim on the airstrip, congratulating and taking pictures of the pilots, two young women posing in front of the fighter planes which had been decorated with traditional Korean wreaths.

"I am very satisfied and pleased to see the emergence of excellent female pilots and their brave flight in a matter of just a few months after I gave orders to train them," said Kim in statements reported by the state agency KCNA.

The agency said the two pilots successfully executed takeoff and landing manoeuvres in a first training mission that took place under the supervision of the "Supreme Leader" of the totalitarian state.

As usual, the state media did not reveal where or when the event took place, although South Korean experts say that it occurred this week, probably Thursday, at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, the country's main airport.

The experts added that, from the photos, it looked like the pilots flew MiG-15s, a model developed decades ago in the Soviet era.

In 1993, North Korea established a unit for women in the country's air force. However, until now the pilots had only used old propeller-driven aircraft that were unfit for combat.

--IANS/EFE

ab/dg