Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un , General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and President of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), 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 .

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un arrived at Komsomolsk-on-Amur Railway Station in the morning of September 15.

He was courteously greeted at the station by Comrade Alexandr Kozlov, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology, Comrade Mikhail Degtyarev, Governor of the Khabarovsk Kraj Administration, and Comrade Alexandr Zhornik, Mayor of Komsomolsk-on-Amur of Russia.

Russian women in national costumes presented him with bread and salt according to a Russian custom.

He was presented with a fragrant bouquet by a lovely child.

He warmly waved back to the Russian children fluttering the national flags of both countries.

Being guided by the Russian leading officials, he headed for the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant.

He was accompanied by Comrade Choe Son Hui, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, Comrades Ri Pyong Chol and Pak Jong Chon, Marshals of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), Comrade Kang Sun Nam, Minister of National Defence of the DPRK, Comrades O Su Yong and Pak Thae Song, Secretaries of the C.C., WPK, Comrade General Kim Kwang Hyok, Commander of the Air Force of the KPA, 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 Russia’s defence and air transport industries which manufactures a variety of fighters including the fifth-generation fighter jet Su-57, and passenger planes.

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un was received at the plant by Comrade Denis Mantrov, Deputy Prime Minister and concurrently Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Comrade Yuri Slusari, General Director of the Russian Air Production Complex, and Comrade Alexandr Pekarsh, Manager of the plant.

A woman employee presented a bouquet to Comrade Kim Jong Un in welcome of his visit to the plant.

Employees of the plant warmly greeted him with boundless respect and reverence.

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un was briefed by the manager, while going round several workshops of the plant, including the design institute, and workshops of fighter jet fuselage assembly, wing production, painting and airliner assembly.

Looking at the photos of Chairman Kim Jong Il who visited the plant 21 years ago, displayed at different worksites of the plant, he recollected with deep reverence the brilliant career and exploits of the Chairman who showed undying devotion and made every effort for the development of the DPRK-Russia friendship.

He met test pilots at the fighter jet fuselage assembly shop and got on Su-57 where he was given a detailed account on technical specifications and flight performance of the fifth-generation fighter jet.

He got on an airliner produced at 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 aviation industry by achieving excellent successes in production with highly advanced technology and strong mental power.

He was deeply impressed by the rich independent potential and modernity of the Russia’s aircraft manufacturing industry and its ceaseless enterprising efforts toward new goals, he noted and sincerely hoped that they 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.

Yuri Slusari hosted a luncheon to welcome the visit by respected Comrade Kim Jong Un .

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 respected Comrade 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.

Comrade Ri Pyong Chol, in his reply speech, said that respected Comrade Kim Jong Un added another glorious chapter to the history of development of the DPRK-Russia relations by visiting the time-honored plant, and 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, respected Comrade 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 picture taken with him with a Su-35 fighter jet in the background.

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un expressed sincere regard for Russia’s aviation technology undergoing rapid development, outpacing the outside potential threats, and wished them success in its future development.

That afternoon, he left for the next destination, being given a warm send-off by Russian officials.