FX.co ★ North Korea First Airshow

In an effort to promote tourism to the hermit kingdom, the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) held the two day festival from September 24-25th. North Korea opened its country to international aviation enthusiasts with several travel agencies providing airshow packages to the event.

The Wonsan area, on the east coast of North Korea, has been targeted as an economic improvement zone and tourism area. Curiously, there are currently no international flights in and out of Kalma International Airport. Tourist flights instead arrived via Pyongyang via Beijing. The event was attended by a North Korean citizens and foreign tourists, as well as representatives of the foreign media.

The event, attended by both civilian and military aircraft, has represented an unbelievable opportunity for aviation enthusiasts from all around the world to photograph some of the world's rarest combat planes, including the North Korean Air Force Mig-29 Fulcrum, Su-25 Frogfoot, Mig-21Bis Fishbed, Mi-8T Hip and Y-5s.Military aircraft performances included a MiG-29 performing a vertical climb on takeoff. The MiG-29 made several passes in front of the crowd line performing turns and an inverted pass.

Among the aircraft that took part in the air show, there was also a formation of four Hughes 500E helicopters: exposed in 2013 during the traditional flying parade over Pyongyang, the North Korean “Little Birs" have long been surrounded by mystery. There were no images that could prove their presence in DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) in spite the news that they had been illegally supplied to the regime had been unveiled in the '80s.

Parachutists from North Korea, United States, Germany, Czech Republic, New Zealand and several other countries took part in the demonstration, for which the Mi-8 helicopter was used.

Today, the North Korean authorities are trying to develop the tourism industry, to attract visitors from abroad, but it is hampered by international sanctions and political instability. Pyongyang's first air show took place amid growing tensions with the U.S. over North Korea's continued development of missiles and nuclear weapons. It is noteworthy that the air show in North Korea was held simultaneously with the air show in South Korea.