Cessna plane crashes in North Korea last week

SEOUL, July 23 (Yonhap) -- A small North Korean plane, the same type of plane used by leader Kim Jong-un, has crashed, an official said Thursday.

The Cessna went down near the eastern port city of Wonsan, home to Kim's special villa, on July 15, said the South Korean official familiar with the issue.

The crash was confirmed with intelligence assets of South Korea and the U.S., she said, without elaborating on the assets or the Cessna model.

She did not provide any further details of whether there were any casualties of those who were on board the doomed flight.

Kim was apparently not on board the ill-fated plane. On July 15, North Korea's state television aired footage of Kim taking photos with participants of an ambassadors meeting in Pyongyang.

On Sunday, Kim cast a ballot in the elections to select deputies to local assemblies, which were held for the first time in four years, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea's state media remained silent on the accident.

Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea's presidential office, declined to comment. The National Intelligence Service, South Korea's top spy agency, referred inquiries to the Defense Ministry, saying it could not confirm the plane crash.

Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said he had no information.

Another source in the intelligence community said that Kim Jong-un has used a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, a four-seat, single-engine aircraft built by the Cessna Aircraft Co., a U.S. aviation company.

North Korea has assembled Cessna planes by importing parts through a third country, he said, without naming the country. He said Cessna models in North Korea include the Cessna 152 and the Cessna 172 Skyhawk. He asked not to be identified, citing the issue's sensitivity.

In March last year, footage of the North's state television showed a small plane presumed to be the Cessna 172 Skyhawk during Kim's inspection trip to an air force unit.

Original article can be found here:  http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr