Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Pays Congratulatory Visit to

Helicopter Unit of KPA Air Force

Pyongyang, August 3 (KCNA) -- The whole country is stirred up by the
legendary feats of the brave red flying corps of the Workers' Party of Korea
that displayed the indomitable fighting spirit of the People's Air Force in
perfectly carrying out the special order of the Central Military Commission
of the WPK by rapidly flying to the flood-hit areas in the northwestern part
of North Phyongan Province and rescuing nearly 4 200 precious lives.
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,

on August 2 paid a congratulatory visit to a helicopter unit of the Air Force
of the Korean People's Army (KPA) that performed a miracle of air rescue
operation.
Lined up at the unit's maintenance ground with a national flag fluttering
were the helicopters which were dispatched to the flooded areas to save the
inhabitants.
All the officers and men, waiting for the glorious moment of greeting the
respected Comrade Kim Jong Un at their unit, were filled with boundless
reverence for the Supreme Commander, who with the warmest love for the
people and the will to save their lives, organized and led the rescue operation
for saving the people in the dangerous flooded area to bring about
unprecedented miracles and attributes the credit for all of them to the
soldiers.
When Kim Jong Un arrived, the service personnel of the air force burst into
cheers of "Hurrah!" as a token of their highest tribute and glory to the great
brilliant commander.
He received a salute from the commander of the KPA Air Force.
He paid tribute to the honorable colours of the KPA Air Force and the
colours of the unit.
He was greeted by leading commanding officers of the Air Force and
commanding officers of the unit.
Responding to the enthusiastic cheers, he extended warm greetings of
encouragement to the reliable soldiers who glorified the name of the
People's Air Force with their brilliant military feats in the emergency rescue
operation for implementing the special order of the WPK Central Military
Commission.

He was accompanied by Choe Ryong Hae, member of the Presidium of the
Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, first vice-president of the
State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and chairman of the Standing
Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, Pak Jong Chon, vice-
chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK and secretary of
the C.C., WPK, Kang Sun Nam, minister of National Defence of the DPRK,
and Ri Yong Gil, chief of the General Staff of the KPA.
There took place a ceremony of awarding orders to the helicopter unit of the
Air Force of the KPA that performed a distinguished military service in the
sacred struggle for defending the people.
The national anthem of the DPRK was played.
Kim Jong Un made an encouraging speech.
Saying that he came to the unit on the road of returning from the site of
repairing the flood damage, out of his desire to greatly boast of the pilots of
the helicopter unit who performed matchless feats in protecting our God-like
people without an equal in the world, he stressed that holding the grand
commendation ceremony and making the whole army learn from them and
the world know about them represent the extent of the feats of the pilots and
the level of the appreciation of the Party and the country.
Saying that no casualties were made in Sinuiju area, which suffered the
greatest flood damage caused by the record heavy rainfall and the rapid
increase in water inflow in the basin of the Amnok River, and this fact
cannot be expressed otherwise than miracle, he referred to the matchless
combat efficiency of the service personnel of the air force who made a
military achievement by bravely displaying specialty and perfection in
carrying out their successive missions despite the then dangerous weather
conditions.
Saying that another valuable and honorable record was made to go down in
the history of distinguished military services of our heroic army, he
expressed his heartfelt thanks to all the service personnel of the air force
who protected the God-like people and firmly defended the people's trust in
the Party and the government while flying despite heavy rains at the risk of
their lives.
He said that he was also thankful that all the pilots were safe although one
helicopter was forced to suddenly land in the rescue area during its mission.

He also extended warm thanks to the fighters of the sharpshooter brigade of
the Navy, maritime guard formation of the Border Guards and the General
Reconnaissance Bureau who had been involved in the rescue operation.
He said that the pilots of the helicopter unit proved what the soldiers and the
well-prepared unit, to be followed by the entire army, should be through the
actual war capability at the battlefield where they risked their lives, not a
training ground for judgment.
He said that he was greatly pleased to find a genuine model unit, seeing the
organized, professional and unhesitating combat actions of the soldiers who
immediately conducted a rescue campaign in the unfamiliar flood-hit area at
night braving stormy weather, true to the order of the Party Central
Committee.
He specially appreciated the combat spirit and deep ideological and moral
world of the unit commander who is able to stand in the van before shouting
a command. Saying that the WPK needs such a field-, ability- and action-
type commanding officer required by modern warfare as the commander, he
added he was deeply moved to see him carrying out the successive and
repeated missions of reconnaissance, rescue and search without any sign of
getting tired on that day. It is a real miracle to save more than 4 200 people
within a few hours with the helicopters that can not be said as big ones,
totaling more than 5 000 people including those rescued by other units
which carried out their rescue mission on the water, he stressed.
He highly appreciated it as the immortal exploit to be described with the
expressions of heroic and miraculous one as it is the success greater than
shooting down 10 or 100 enemy planes and as the feats to be added luster
and go down in the history from its character as the campaign for defending
the people.
Saying that our air force's route is the only one indicated by the Party and
revolution although the wonders done by heaven are constantly changing
and no milestone exists in the vast open sky, he noted that this is why the
feats performed by our pilots are so honorable. He expressed belief that the
pilots and all officers and men of the unit would as ever firmly defend the
cause of the Party with ardent patriotism and heroic fighting spirit and
reliably safeguard the security of the airspace sovereignty of the DPRK and
the wellbeing of its people.

He stressed the need to step up the training revolution to thoroughly
annihilate the enemies just as they were brave, skilled and unhesitating in the
struggle for defending the people.
The enemies' rubbish media are spreading the false rumor that the human
loss in the flood-hit areas of the DPRK is expected to be over 1 000 or 1 500
and that several helicopters involved in the rescue mission seem to have
fallen, he said, adding that clear is the sinister purpose of those in Seoul keen
on such smear campaign.
Noting that enemies remain unchanged, he bitterly censured the inveterate
habits and despicable nature of the ROK scum running high fever in their
vicious smear campaign to bring disgrace upon us and tarnish the image of
the DPRK at any cost.
He declared conclusively that we would never give up the national defence
for rehabilitation or people's standard of living and pay less attention to the
people's standard of living for the national defence.
Referring to the future development direction of the air force, he affirmed
that the People's Air Force would make a great contribution to ensuring the
country's security and the regional peace and stability.
Saying that the people are our God and it is necessary to think about the
inconvenience of the flood victims who were evacuated to the safe area even
at this moment when boiling heat has still raged and to accelerate the
rehabilitation as soon as possible, he earnestly stated that the communist trait
of one for all and all for one should be made to prevail across the country in
hard time and, in particular, our army should show the filial devotion to the
people as their sons and daughters.
Expressing thanks again to the unit for having performed sacred feats in the
struggle for defending the people, he ardently wished victory and glory to
the heroic People's Air Force.
When his speech was over, the cheers of the service personnel of the air
force echoed like thunder again.
All the participants expressed their gratitude to the Supreme Commander
praising them, who have been only faithful to the mission of the sacred
People's Air Force, as pride of the Party and the state and hardened their iron
will to be always thorough and courageous in defending the sovereignty of
the country and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the people as the slogan
inscribed in their glorious colors.

Choe Ryong Hae read out the decrees of the SPA Standing Committee of the
DPRK on awarding the Order of Freedom and Independence First Class to
the helicopter unit of the KPA Air Force and the title of DPRK Hero to its
commander who led the unit to the campaign for defending the people and
the air service of feats.
Kim Jong Un personally conferred the order on the unit.
He affixed the honorable Order of Freedom and Independence First Class to
the colors of the unit.
He awarded the title of DPRK Hero and the Gold Star Medal and Order of
National Flag First Class to the commander of the unit.
The citation of the Supreme Commander of the armed forces of the DPRK
was conferred on 47 pilots and crew engineers.
The officers and men of the Air Force broke into enthusiastic cheers, looking
up to the great brilliant commander who is decorating their distinguished
military feats on the road of service with the gold star while respectfully
calling them the army of lifeguards of the Party Central Committee and the
first death-defying corps of defending the revolution and the people.
The unit commander made an oath-taking speech on behalf of the unit.
Saying that the self-sacrificing devotion of the great father regarding our
people as his flesh and blood that can never be lost was an irresistible
driving force of standing any downpour and strong wind without fear and a
key to the fighting efficiency of the unit which brought about an
unprecedented miracle in air rescue operation, he made a solemn pledge that
the red hawks of the brave DPRK air force would as ever fly along the route
of loyalty and reward without the deviation of 0.001 mm, cherishing the
trust of the Supreme Commander and the Party Central Committee as their
whole life.
The order-conferring venue was filled with the militant enthusiasm of the
participants to fully demonstrate the spiritual qualities and mettle of the
People's Air Force in the struggle to defend the wellbeing, rights and
interests of the DPRK and its people unto death by giving fuller play to the
steadfast revolutionary faith, patriotic spirit and spirit of devoted service
with which they have supported the idea and cause of the great Party Central
Committee in the vanguard.
There took place a march-past of the guard of honor of the KPA Air Force.

Kim Jong Un had a photo session with the pilots, who performed
distinguished feats in the operation for defending the people, with the
background of the glorious colors.
He repeatedly said with high appreciation that the steadfast officers and men
of the air force, who take the same step of strenuous efforts with the same
mind to absolutely serve the people, cherishing the outlook on the revolution
and life that there is no greater happiness than the pride of sharing intention,
will and practice with the supreme commander, are the highest pride of our
Party and people, expressing expectation and belief that the pilots will
steadily carry on the present honor with more brilliant feats.
The firm pledge of the air fighters to display the bravery of the WPK's red
phoenix despite any flames and storm, cherishing the great love and trust
shown by Kim Jong Un as the mainstay of faith, resounded far and wide in
the sky of August along with the loud shouts of "Kim Jong Un" and "Death-
defying defence".
That evening Kim Jong Un hosted a reception in congratulation of the unit
officers and men who received the order of honor.
Leading officials of the Party, government and military attended the
reception to warmly congratulate the winners.
The reception was filled with the feelings of kinship and trust between the
great brilliant commander and the bodyguards.
Kim Jong Un's congratulatory visit to the helicopter unit will be brilliantly
recorded in the history of army building as an event of warm love and
encouragement that put on the eminence of the times the brilliant tradition
and ever-victorious militant spirit of the People's Air Force, which has
always flied along the route of absolute loyalty and heroic military service to
defend the country and the people, and powerfully inspired it to perform
continuous feats. -0-