Air show displays North Korea's flight skills, new airport
24 Sept 2016 2:15 PM IST24 Sept 2016 2:15 PM IST
The 2-day International Friendship Air Festival has been touted for months by the North as part of its ongoing effort to draw more tourists.
North Korea opened an air festival featuring sky diving, air force demonstrations and lots of beer Saturday to promote a newly renovated and upgraded airport in the coastal city of Wonsan.- Thousands of Koreans turned out for the opening, along with a crowd of foreign journalists and tourists invited to attend the event. North Korea has been trying to promote tourism for years, but its efforts have been severely hindered by international sanctions and political tensions over its nuclear weapons program.
- The new Wonsan airport features a sparkling terminal building with cafes, shops and an airy, glass-walled modern design. Aircraft from the national flag-carrier, Air Koryo, were lined up on the tarmac in a static display.
- A MiG-29, a Russian fighter jet, roared over the crowd to loud roars of cheers and applause, and another Russian-made ground attack fighter flew later in the morning.
- A Hughes 500 helicopter, modified for military use, started off the show with a low-to-ground display of hovering and aerobatic techniques.
- Japanese visits dropped off abruptly as political relations deteriorated over revelations that North Korea had abducted more than a dozen Japanese people in the 1970s and 80s and then over its nuclear weapons and long-range missile programs.
- The Wonsan area with its beaches and rugged mountain scenery, including a ski resort, is already popular with Chinese tourists and in the past attracted many Japanese, who came by ferry.
- The two-day International Friendship Air Festival has been touted for months by the North as part of its ongoing effort to draw more tourists.
North Korea opened an air festival featuring sky diving, air force demonstrations and lots of beer Saturday to promote a newly renovated and upgraded airport in the coastal city of Wonsan.
The 2-day International Friendship Air Festival has been touted for months by the North as part of its ongoing effort to draw more tourists.
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