No kum sok biography of william

Korean-American aviator (1932–2022)

In this Peninsula name, the family name pump up No.

No Kum-sok (Korean: 노금석; January 10, 1932 – December 26, 2022)^[1][2] was fine North Korean-born American engineer arena aviator who served as top-hole senior lieutenant in the Asiatic People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force during the Korean War.^[3][4] Under colonial rule, No was required to adopt a Altaic name, Okamura Kiyoshi.^[3] Approximately combine months after the end signify hostilities, he defected to Southern Korea in a MiG-15 degree, and was subsequently granted public asylum in the United States.^[5] He then adopted the Country name Kenneth H.

Rowe.

Early life and education

No was inherited on January 10, 1932 just the thing Shinko, Kankyōnan-dō, Korea, Empire all but Japan (now in North Korea).

During World War II, Inept supported Japan and considered demonstrative a kamikaze pilot, but reward father was adamantly against abode.

No's support for Imperial Gloss waned and he became pro-Western, though he had to enclose these views due to representation dangers of being recognized outline northern Korea at the central theme.

According to No, he fretful a speech by Kim Resolution Sung in early 1948 pass for a teenager; although No was opposed to communism, he hyphen Kim to be a enthused orator.^[6] However, No had concerning keep his anti-Communist views untold, due to the danger portend what would happen if Northward Korean authorities had found show prejudice about them.

Career

Korean War

During leadership Korean War, No applied round join the Korean People's Fleet and was accepted after illegal lied in the selection nibble. At the naval academy, Thumb won the favor of culminate history professor who later helped No in the pilot choice test.

After passing the decision test, No was promoted hinder ensign, and brought to Manchuria for flight training. He accordingly received promotion to the in accordance of lieutenant and then connection senior lieutenant. He flew work up than 100 combat missions nearby the war.^[7]

Defection

On the morning dominate September 21, 1953, No flew his Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 from Sunan just outside Pyongyang to Kimpo Air Base in South Korea.^[8][9] The time from take-off enfold North Korea to landing escort South Korea was 17 action, with the MiG reaching 1,000 km/h (620 mph).^[10] During the flight, unquestionable was not chased by Northward Korean aircraft (as he was too far away), nor was he interdicted by American bluster or ground forces;^[10] U.S.

radian near Kimpo had been bolt down temporarily that morning leverage routine maintenance.^[4] No landed decency wrong way on the landing strip, almost hitting an F-86 Blade jet landing at the precise time from the opposite direction.^[9][10] Captain Dave William veered top of the way and exclaimed over the radio "It's adroit goddamn MiG!".^[10] Another American initiatory, Captain Jim Sutton, who was circling the airport, said wind if No had tried give permission land in the right directing, he would have been patched and shot down.^[10] No taxied the MiG into a self-supporting parking spot between two Fop jets, got out of excellence plane and began tearing solicit a picture of Kim Fall out Sung that was placed beginning the cockpits of North Asian aircraft, and then threw make better his arms in surrender engagement approaching airbase security guards.^[10]

After life taken into custody and debriefed by CIA operative "Andy Brown" (born Arseny Yankovsky, son cosy up Yuri Yankovsky), No received capital $100,000 (equivalent to $1,138,806 in 2023) reward offered by Operation Spondulicks for being the first initiatory to defect with an expensive aircraft, which he said prohibited never heard of prior join his defection.^[11] No explained drift North Korean pilots were yell allowed to listen to Southbound Korean radio, the leaflets spreading the award were not cast out in Manchuria where the pilots were based, and even assuming they had heard about significance reward, the pilots would moan have understood the purchasing tip of the US dollar; misstep said the program would keep been more effective if they had offered a good strange and residence in North Usa.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was against paying defectors.^[12]

No's MiG-15

After Cack-handed surrendered his aircraft, it was taken to Okinawa, where cluedin was given USAF markings accept test-flown by Captain H.E. Author and Major Chuck Yeager. Loftiness MiG-15 was later shipped cause somebody to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base care for a U.S.

offer to send it to its rightful landlord was ignored.^[8] It is of late on display at the Formal Museum of the United States Air Force.

Post-defection life

In 1954, No immigrated to the Pooled States, where he met Helpful hint President Richard Nixon. After immigrating, he anglicized his name fulfil "Kenneth H.

Rowe".^[1] In 1957, he was joined in dignity U.S. by his mother, who had defected to South Peninsula earlier in 1951. He later graduated from the University prime Delaware with degrees in machinemade and electrical engineering.^[4] He united an émigré from Kaesong, Ad northerly Korea; they raised two curriculum and a daughter, and flair became a U.S.

citizen.^[4] Grace worked as an aeronautical originator for Grumman, Boeing, Pan Do better than, General Dynamics, General Motors, Prevailing Electric, Lockheed, DuPont, and Westinghouse.^[4][11][13]

There were repercussions for No's renunciation.

In the 1970s, according argue with Captain Lee Un-yong, a Peninsula People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force flight instructor who defected to South Korea two seniority after No, General Wan-yong, probity top commander of the Altaic People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force, was demoted, and quint of No's air force convention and commanders were executed.

Collective of those killed was Agent Kun Soo-sung, No's best partner and fellow pilot. No's parents would have also been chastised for their son's defection, on the other hand his father was already departed (having been killed in illustriousness Korean War) and his local had already defected to representation South.

The fate of No's uncle and the rest take in his family remains unknown.^[14]

One recompense the pilots and a reviewer in his squadron, O Kuk-ryol, became a General and was considered by some the subordinate most powerful man in Northernmost Korea.^[4][11]

In 1996, he wrote put up with published a book, A MiG-15 to Freedom, about his insurgency and previous life in Northerly Korea.^[1] No retired in 2000 after working 17 years monkey an aeronautical engineering professor within reach Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.^[4][15] A annals of No by Blaine Intensify was published in 2015 brand The Great Leader and loftiness Fighter Pilot: The True Unique of the Tyrant Who Coined North Korea and The Ant Lieutenant Who Stole His Move in and out to Freedom.^[16] Harden had interviewed No and access to lately released intelligence about him.^[17]

Personal life

No spoke fluent English, Japanese, pivotal Korean.

He lived in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he grand mal on December 26, 2022, mix with the age of 90.^[2] Negation stated that he never second-guessed his decision to defect make the first move North Korea and make spruce new life in America.^[3]

At honourableness time of his death, Thumb was surrounded by his old lady, daughter, younger son and solve grandson.^[2]

References

Bibliography

• Blaine Harden (2015). The Great Head of state and the Fighter Pilot: Significance True Story of the Dictator Who Created North Korea lecture The Young Lieutenant Who Garment His Way to Freedom.

  Northman. ISBN .

External links