Seo Wal-bo (Korean: 서왈보; 1886–1926) was a Korean fighter pilot and independence activist. He is considered one of the first Koreans to ever fly a plane,[2] although it has recently been discovered that Lee Eung-ho (George Lee), an ethnic Korean in the United States, flew in 1918, before Seo.
Seo Wal-bo | |
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![]() Image of Seo in The Dong-A Ilbo (1926) | |
Born | |
Occupation |
|
Korean name | |
Hangul | 서왈보 |
Hanja | 徐曰甫 |
Revised Romanization | Seo Wal-bo |
McCune–Reischauer | Sŏ Wal-bo |
Biography
editSeo initially studied in the educational institution Daesung School, founded by Ahn Changho. He later moved to Siberia and led the military training of independence activists. After training in a Chinese military school in 1909 and 1915, he became one of the Chinese soldiers. After 1919, his main focus of his movement happened in Southern Manchuria.This is where he went to a Aviation school in Beijing, which led him to become a pilot. He also once led an air Brigade of chinese warlord Feng Yuxiang.[1] Seo was part of the korean independence activist group Damuldan(多勿團), a group that was formed in Beijing in 1925.[3] Seo died from a plane accident while going on a test flight with a plane made in Italy.[1]
Award
editSeo was posthumously awarded the National medal of the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1990.[1]
"First Pilot"
editSeo used to be credited as the first Korean pilot ever to exist in history, however, an earlier example in 1918 exists, whose name was George Lee (Lee Eung-ho), who made his first flight in 1918 as part of the American Air force.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "서왈보(徐曰甫)". people.aks.ac.kr.
- ^ Yi, Yeong-sin (January 2005), "한국 최초의 전투비행사 서왈보 소전/A short biography of Korea's first fighter pilot, Seo Wal-bo", Donga Ilbo Magazine (544): 598–632, retrieved 2007-05-21
- ^ "다물단". Doopedia.
- ^ "서왈보·안창남보다 먼저...101년전 하늘 난 한국인 있었다". The Hankyoreh.
Further reading
edit- Yi, Yeong-sin (August 2001), 서왈보 이야기-한국 최초의 전투 비행사 [The Seo Wal-bo Story: Korea's first fighter pilot], Geumsan Kihoek, ISBN 89-87400-10-7