Pyongyang, April 20 (KCNA) -- The first meeting of airpersons of the Korean People's Army (KPA) was held with splendor here on April 15.

    Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, guided the meeting.

    The meeting was a historic grand assembly attended by all airpersons of the KPA.

    Displayed on the platform of the meeting hall was the fighter of the KPA Air Force which shot down the U.S. imperialists' large spy plane EC-121 when it illegally intruded into the territorial air of the country on April 15, 1969.

    Kim Jong Un made an opening address.

    He pointed out that the enemies kicked off a combined air drill in the wake of the large-scale combined landing exercise, pushing the situation to the brink of a war and threatening peace on the Korean peninsula.

    The fact that the meeting of all airpersons of the whole army is being held in Pyongyang, leaving the whole territorial air of the country open under the grave situation in which the air over the south of the peninsula is covered with blowfly-like aircraft of the imperialists signifies the victory of the grit, pluck and mettle of the DPRK and proves that the mental power of the heroic airpersons prevails over the enemies, he noted, and continued:

    The Central Committee of the WPK highly appreciates the patriotic devotion the airpersons are making to protect the territorial air, while performing mentally and physically difficult combat duties all the year round despite sweltering weather and biting cold.

    He said the purpose of the meeting is to glorify the immortal exploits President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il performed in strengthening the Juche-oriented air force, review the successes and experience gained by it and lessons drawn by it and fully prepare all airpersons including young pilots as phoenixes and death-defying corps in the sky.

    It is also designed to let the whole country know about their patriotic devotion and efforts and make the service personnel of the whole army learn from their noble ideological and moral spirit and thus bring about a fresh turn in rounding off the combat preparations and bolstering up the fighting capability of the KPA, he said.

    He declared the meeting open, expressing belief that the meeting being held on the occasion of the significant Day of the Sun (birth anniversary of President Kim Il Sung) would mark a historic landmark occasion in developing the air force of the KPA.

    KPA Army General Ri Yong Gil, chief of the KPA General Staff, made a report at the meeting.

    He referred to the indefatigable efforts made by the peerlessly great persons of Mt. Paektu to build the air force and deep loving care shown by them.

    The reporter recalled that Kim Il Sung declared before the whole world the birth of the Juche-based air force by making the historic speech "Let Us Create the Air Force of New Korea," adding that the President organized the Korean Aviation Association before anything else right after the party founding and became its first chairman, devoting his all to developing the young flying corps of new Korea into a regular air force.

    The reporter also recalled that leader Kim Jong Il ceaselessly inspected flying units and sub-units and airfields in order to develop the air force of the KPA into elite one in the world and thus bolstered up the air force into invincible combat force.

    The air force of the KPA is now fully displaying its invincible might under the leadership of Marshal Kim Jong Un, the reporter said, adding:

    Kim Jong Un felt more painful than anybody else upon receiving a report that airpersons died while performing their flight duties. He made sure that they enjoyed an eternal life as they are always remembered by the party, the country and its people even after their death.

    The reporter called upon all the commanding officers and airpersons to absolutely trust and follow the Supreme Commander only and become Kim Jong Un's flying corps of human bombs devotedly defending him.

    The reporter appealed to them to mercilessly blow up the citadel of aggression by making prompt sorties like the lightning over Mt. Paektu and wipe out the enemies to the last one once the Supreme Commander issues an order and thus clearly show the world how the powerful revolutionary Paektusan Army puts an end to the fate of imperialism.

    At the meeting speakers expressed their will to raise a strong wind of making a leap forward in rounding off the combat preparations so that they may make prompt sorties like thunder over Mt. Paektu to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies anytime an order is issued and thus annihilate the bluffing enemies by the air combat method of Korean style.

    Kim Jong Un heard their speeches with keen attention. During a break he met servicepersons of Unit 447 of the KPA Air and Anti-Air Force who successfully fulfilled their difficult flying combat duties and highly appreciated their feats once again.

    He said the Central Committee of the WPK accepted with pleasure the solemn pledge made by the participants.

    He noted that the development of the air force of the KPA would be unthinkable without the dedication and efforts of the great Generalissimos Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

    He emphasized that the spirit of devotedly defending the country displayed by 14 human bomb-like fighters of Unit 447 of the KPA Air and Anti-Air Force which was stressed in the speeches is the spirit of the second and third Kil Yong Jo and that such spirit is the precious mental treasure which can be hardly obtained with anything.

    He said that the Party Central Committee highly appreciated the spirit displayed by 14 human bomb-like fighters and made public at the meeting the decision to award the title of DPRK Hero to airman Jong Chol Ju who died while performing his combat duty and watches bearing the august name of Kim Jong Il to 13 others.

    He awarded the title of DPRK Hero to Kim Hye Yong, widow of Jong Chol Ju and the watches bearing the august name of Kim Jong Il to Kim Chol, An Song Hyok, Ryang Jong Ryong, Jon Sang Ryol, Kim Yong Chol, Jang Yong Ho, Jo Yong Chol, Kim Chol Un, Han Chol Ho, Cha Yong Jin, Jong Yong Nam, Choe Chang Nam and Jo Sang Gi.

    He set forth important tasks which would serve as guidelines for developing the air force.

    We have latest weapons and powerful and modern military equipment making the enemies tremble with fear but more powerful than them is the KPA's strong spirit of defending the country and transparent ideological and moral spirit, he said. We are not afraid of any formidable enemy as there are such fighters strong in idea.

    He continued: The more zealously the enemies cling to the theory of weapons being all-powerful, the more consistently we should hold fast to the theory of ideology being all-powerful and put main emphasis on it. There is no enemy we cannot beat, if we remain strong in ideology.

    He declared the meeting closed, expressing expectation and conviction that all airpersons would become indomitable pilots performing their combat missions in any adversity.

    Present at the meeting were Ri Yong Gil, Jang Jong Nam, So Hong Chan, Hwang Pyong So, Ri Pyong Chol and Jang Tong Un. -0-