[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] North Korea's MIG Fighter Jets Night Sortie This Time

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] Recently, North Korean fighter jets have significantly increased their sortie frequency, including conducting night flights. The military believes that annual flight training has resumed, but as the training period extends, they are trying to ascertain the exact intent.

On the 18th, a government official stated, "Since the 19th of last month, North Korean fighter jets have steadily increased the number of flights of combat aircraft and airborne maneuvering aircraft, and since last week, night flights of MIG-21s have been conducted at the Wonsan Airfield."

The timing of North Korea's significant increase in flight frequency coincides with the visit of Stephen Biegun, the U.S. State Department's Special Representative for North Korea, to South Korea. On the 16th of last month, Stephen Biegun sought to meet with the North at Panmunjom, stating, "We will not be bound by the year-end deadline." However, North Korea did not respond. Subsequently, the U.S. has increased reconnaissance flights over the Korean Peninsula using reconnaissance aircraft, leading to speculation that North Korea is increasing its flight frequency in response.

Intelligence agencies analyze that North Korea has likely stockpiled 1.5 million tons of fuel in preparation for wartime. If North Korea has significantly increased the flight frequency of its fighter jets, it is highly probable that they have expended a considerable amount of wartime fuel reserves amid chronic economic difficulties. They are essentially going "all-in" on countering U.S. reconnaissance flights.

North Korea's main aircraft include approximately 810 combat mission aircraft, about 30 surveillance and control aircraft, airborne maneuvering aircraft (including AN-2), around 170 training aircraft, and about 290 helicopters (including naval helicopters). Among these, some MIG-21s stationed at the Goksan base and some MIG-19s at the Hwangju base have been forward-deployed to the Taetan and Nucheon-ri air bases, respectively. All are outdated models. During the Yeonpyeong Island shelling, 8 to 9 MIG-23 fighter jets were forward-deployed to the Hwangju base.

As the aging of North Korea's air force fighters became severe, they requested support from Russia. In 2011, when Chairman Kim Jong-il visited Russia, Air Force Commander Ri Byong-chol (General) accompanied him. Chairman Kim arrived early in Ulan-Ude the day before the summit and visited Russia's representative military aircraft production factory, which has produced Sukhoi and MiG fighters and helicopters since the late 1930s. During the 2001 and 2002 North Korea-Russia summits, Chairman Kim also requested the sale of new weapons such as Sukhoi fighters from Russia, but then-President Vladimir Putin (now Prime Minister) refused, and the deal fell through.

Military experts note that regarding the air forces of South and North Korea, South Korea has about 460 fighter jets, while North Korea has about 820, which is much more. However, 70% of North Korea's fighters are outdated models developed in the 1950s and 1960s, such as the MIG-15, 17, 19, and 21, lagging behind South Korea. North Korea's newer fighters include about 40 MIG-23s and around 10 MIG-29s, but South Korea's air force is superior with deployments including the stealth fighter F-35, KF-16, and F-15K.