Spike in training sorties by North Korea's air force since January

Korean People's Air Force (KPAF) MiG-21 interceptors.

South Korea's Chosun Ilbo has reported that North Korea's air force has stepped up the number of training flights since last month to as many as 650 sorties a day. A number of sorties have come close to the border between the two Koreas, prompting the Republic of Korea Air Force to scramble several times.

Quoting unnamed experts, the paper speculates that the logistics for the increased number of sorties by the Korean People's Air Force was provided after KPAF pilots appealed to newly installed leader Kim Jong-un during his January visit to a KPAF MiG-29 unit, citing the gap in the number of sorties between the air forces of North and South Korea.

Spotter's badge to James Simpson over at Japan Security Watch