[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] Movement Detected in North Korea's Unit 1... Did Kim Jong-un Board?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Attention is focused as an aircraft believed to be North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un's exclusive plane was spotted over North Korean airspace. Some speculate that Kim may have traveled to unveil a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), but security authorities deny this.

According to the flight tracking site 'FlightRadar24' on the 18th, around 10 a.m. on the 17th, a Korea Air An-148 was tracked flying from near Pyongyang toward Hamhung. The An-148 is presumed to have lost signal after flying near Yodok-eup, South Hamgyong Province.

It has not been confirmed whether Kim Jong-un was aboard the Korea Air An-148. However, considering the flight path toward South Hamgyong Province, some analysts suggest that Kim may have headed to Sinpo. If Kim traveled to the Sinpo Shipyard, where a new submarine capable of carrying three SLBMs is under construction, it has led to interpretations that a submarine unveiling is imminent. Sinpo has previously been the site of multiple missile ejection tests. Currently, there are no reports of unusual activities such as SLBM launches or submarine unveilings near Sinpo.

An intelligence official stated, "While the exclusive plane's movement is confirmed, Kim's presence on board has not yet been verified," adding, "Recently, Kim has not boarded the Korea Air An-148, so it is likely that only high-ranking military or party officials were on board."

Kim's official exclusive plane is the Chamkae 1. When Kim visited Dalian, China, in 2018 to attend the North Korea-U.S. summit venue, he also boarded the Chamkae 1.

The exclusive plane 'Chamkae 1' is a modified Ilyushin (IL)-62M, originally produced during the Soviet era. The IL-62M, equipped with four engines, has a flight range of up to 10,000 km, allowing it to fly from Pyongyang to the U.S. West Coast or European cities. The IL-62 was developed in the 1960s, with the improved IL-62M variant introduced in the 1970s. North Korea imported and modified this model in the 1980s. It has a maximum speed of 900 km/h and can carry about 200 passengers. The model was produced between the 1960s and 1990s and was discontinued in 1995.

While Kim Jong-il reportedly disliked air travel, Kim Jong-un has frequently been seen using the Chamkae 1 for inspections.

He used it during an on-site inspection of the Dongchang-ri launch site just before a long-range missile launch in February last year, and also flew inspection flights aboard this plane during the Air Force Commanders' Combat Flight Skills Competition held at Wonsan Galma Airfield in July 2015. Kim also used the exclusive plane during an inspection of the 'Future Scientist Street' construction site in Pyongyang in February 2015. At that time, North Korean media even published photos of the plane's interior. The same aircraft was used by Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party Central Committee, and other high-ranking North Korean delegations when they arrived at Incheon Airport for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Another of Kim's exclusive planes is the Antonov (AN)-148, manufactured in Ukraine. It is known that Kim mainly uses the An-148 for provincial inspections, but he has not used it recently. The last time Kim flew on the An-148 was in 2015 when he circled over Pyongyang on the birthday of his father, Kim Jong-il.

The An-148 model has been mass-produced since 2009. Korea Air, a North Korean airline, introduced several units in 2013, one of which was used as Kim's exclusive plane. It can fly up to 3,500 km, with each plane costing about 30 billion KRW.

The AN-148 had its test flight in 2004 and entered mass production in 2009. Korea Air purchased two AN-148s in 2013 and deployed them on routes to China. Although its flight range of 3,500 km is shorter than that of the IL-62M, satellite images show that runways have been constructed near Kim's various villas across North Korea to accommodate the takeoff and landing of this exclusive plane.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.