He learned about the sortie preparedness of the pursuit planes at the stopping place.

Looking at the plan of the drill at the observation post, he heard a report from the commander of the KPA Air and Anti-Air Force and issued an order to start the drill.

He said that he could watch well if the planes are flying properly despite darkness, very pleased that the pilots are good at aerobatics and the command of the flight has been put on a scientific and modern basis on a high level.

At last the planes reached the sky above the targeted area one by one.

Seeing the planes hitting the targets on the display, he said the targets are hit. He clapped his hands with a broad smile on his face, noting it seems to watch the drill in daytime, not at night.

"As I emphasized whenever watching the rehearsal of fighter pilots, the battle for defending the territorial air of the country is not fought, depending on weather or time, and a modern warfare is waged in the worst conditions. It is, therefore, necessary to fully prepare the fighter pilots as able airmen and all-round ones capable of successfully carrying out any aerial combat duty in any adversity by conducting similar drill in the future," he stressed.

Noting that the reliable fighter pilots of the Party fully demonstrated that they are ready to go into action anytime once an order is issued, though the above-said drill was organized all of a sudden, he said:

"Thanks to the death-defying corps of the airmen possessed of the indomitable spirit of defending the country and the self-blasting spirit, the sky of the country will always remain azure."

He met with the pilots and had a photo taken with them, congratulating them on their successful drill.

Warmly shaking hands with the pilots who were moved to tears, he said the indomitable spirit displayed by the pilots in the drill hardly possible without strong pluck is the priceless moral assets and that the Party and the country and its people are very proud of them. He asked commanding officers to convey his greetings to all air persons and other service members and their families of the unit.

He gave the thanks of the supreme commander of the KPA to the regiment and showed deep loving care for it.

He was accompanied by KPA Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So, director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, KPA Vice Marshal Ri Myong Su, chief of the General Staff of the KPA, Army Col. General Ri Yong Gil, first vice-chief of the General Staff of the KPA and director of the General Operational Bureau of the KPA, and Ri Pyong Chol, first vice-department director of the C.C., the Workers' Party of Korea.