Vietnamese daughter-in-law selected by Korean Air Force as national pilot

The Korea Times reported that Vietnamese-American bride Lee Ho-jeong (41 years old, with a Korean name) was selected by the Korean Air Force to become the 'national pilot' of the land of Kim Chi.

Lee Ho-jeong will be one of four people representing the people to experience flying the T-50 aircraft at the Seoul ADEX 2023 air show held at Seoul Airport on October 21. Lee Ho-jeong (41 years old) is Vietnamese, she came to Korea in 2001 through marriage. She became a Korean citizen in 2007. The Korean Air Force has just announced that the Vietnamese bride is one of four people who passed the selection from nearly 3,000 applications to be selected as a national pilot in 2023. Lee shared with a Korean newspaper that, since childhood, she always wanted to become a professional pilot but could not pursue her dream because of her family's difficulties. However, she did not give up on her dream. Lee is now the mother of two children. The woman is working as a bank employee and tutoring Vietnamese, and has obtained a light aircraft pilot's license. According to the Republic of Korea Air Force, when she was selected as a national pilot, Lee said she wanted to encourage marriage immigrants to strive to achieve their goals.

Vietnamese-American woman Lee Ho-jeong becomes a national pilot in Korea

Republic of Korea Air Force

The Korean Air Force's fanpage clearly stated when announcing the selection results that: Lee Ho-jeong (female, 41 years old, housewife) participated in the selection with the desire: to make multicultural families in Korea see that they can do anything, if they overcome language and cultural gaps. The national pilot selection exam is held every 2 years. This year, 4 people were selected to be given the opportunity to fly on a military aircraft. Any Korean citizen over the age of 17 can apply. Candidates will have to pass an interview round and undergo intensive flight training before the final results are available. This year, national pilots will fly on T-50 fighter jets in the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) currently being held at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Kyunggi Province.

T-50 aircraft

The test flights, led by Air Force pilots, will take place on October 21. They will fly over Gangwon Province from the mountains to the east coast. After completing the hour-long flight, they will return to Seoul Air Base and receive commemorative red scarves. The others selected are Kim Jong-seop, 49, the elder brother of the late Air Force Major General Kim Jong-soo, who died in 2005, and Kim Eui-hyeon, a neurosurgeon at Severance Hospital in Seoul. They will also be joined by Yoo Dong-hyun, 26, a university student who set a Guinness World Record in 2018 for being the youngest finisher in four Deserts Ultramarathons. According to the Republic of Korea Air Force, 2,678 people applied to join the national pilot program this year, marking the highest "competition" ratio of 1 in 692 since it began in 2007. So far, 37 people from various backgrounds and age groups, including students, office workers, police officers, nurses and teachers, have been selected to become national pilots.

Thanhnien.vn