It was also not clear whether the Chammae-1 actually landed at the airport, with pictures showing the aircraft appearing only to be making a low pass over the runway and not actually landing there. But though the aircraft was seen relatively frequently in prior years, state media have not shown Kim using it personally since Dalian.
And while there was widespread anticipation he might use it to get to Singapore last year, that he flew on a specially chartered Air China Boeing suggests there could be concerns about its airworthiness.
Furthermore, for his two most recent overseas summits, in both Hanoi and Vladivostok, Kim shunned using his jet and instead took his heavily armored train.
The inclusion of his jet at the air force display on Friday may, then, have merely been for ceremonial purposes. Join the influential community of members who rely on NK News original news and in-depth reporting. Email Address. Sign In Forgot Password? Don't have an account?
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