North Korean Pilot's Daring Defection 

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The man may not have been born an American citizen, but he's more American than many in my country.

Imagine the elation he must’ve felt finally escaping Korea, and reaching your dream country, and then that country gives you $100k

I've seen his plane many times at the museum and i once got a chance to talk to him as a child. He was a humble man.

“The US offered to return the jet to North Korea - this offer was ignored.” 😂😂😂

This man risked it all, and it all paid off. Bless this man and his incredible luck to pull off the stunt of the century.

I wonder if he ever got the chance to have a girlfriend, a dog, and a car. And drive alongside the California coastline. Godspeed to him. May he rest in peace.

It's somewhat heartwarming to see a war hero, even if he was on the other side, live. He's the kind of person who leads by example. Eventually, others will follow suit.

He was my Academic Advisor at my university, in Aircraft Engineering Technology, in 1987. As an 18 year old student, I didn’t know who he was; often, while in his office, I’d glance past him, to see a very small, blurred black and white picture of what appears to be a young Chinese fighter pilot standing next to a MIG-15? I never asked him about it, until, one day, my classmate told me, that he was a North Korean pilot who had defected to the US, in his MIG-15……I simply laughed, and told my friend that he watched too much James Bond movies. Until about 25 year after I graduated, after watching RU-vid, I finally realized who he was. I believed he passed away in 2022. RIP Dr. Rowe.

Dude manifested all of this. How incredible, chosen to be a pilot, nobody noticed him, the radars were down, he got 100k (1.1mil today) on touch down. Just insane.

It’s weird how the Russians treated the North Koreans poorly yet were their biggest economic support as well as security with China

1:10s he’s dads integrity saved his life.

This is one of the best stories I’ve ever heard of escaping communism! He was real clever, he knew that the best way to avoid getting caught by the communists, is to act like an ideal one! He really was blessed and lucky on the day of his escape, he made a clean getaway and landed in a boatload of money to start his new life in America!

He was my drafting professor at Embry Riddle. He never discussed any of this in class, but his book was in the school book store.

This man had balls of steel.

MacArthur: Nuke em! Truman: No! MacArthur: NUKE EM! Truman: NO! MacArthur: AH COME ON! Truman: You’re fired!

Passed away at the age of 90 in Florida, USA. What a giga chad

I’m surprised Ive never Learned of this Man sooner, and he died a Year ago, and the Year I Graduated High School, his story is truly Inspirational 😯

One of the most epic “I Quit” stories in history.

I met this man in person multiple times. His son was my father's best friend. Awesome people.

The respect I have for this dude is insane. Absolute legend, god bless him.

Guys a badass for keeping his intentions to himself for that long surrounded by loyal military officers

That was daring bold move for the pilot to land at a American Air Force base in South Korea

Another great video as usual Simple History, once again you've enlighted me with another obscure fact of the Korean War. Kudos to you🎉.

This MiGs have more powerful engines than expected. How else can they carry that guys giant brass balls into South Korea?

The plane is at the us air force museum in Dayton,Oh if anyone is curious

I did a thing with the US Army in Sudan in 1988. We landed (C-141) at Khartoum International Airport. On the tarmac, were several Mig15s, in full Sudanese livery. Still in use after some 39 years. Given Sudanese equipment maintenance practices, it was kind of a miracle.

Americans: Look! A Commie! "MOTOR CAR! MOTOR CAR!" Americans: Oh, false alarm ~ he's good.

I love your videos. Makes it easier to get my son into history. Thank you so much.

I briefly misread this video's title as: 'North Korean Pilot's Daring *Defecation'.*

The $100k reminds me of the Russian chopper pilot that defected to Ukraine in 2022, I think he got $500k-1mil cause he brought his chopper with him. Helps to do the right thing & risk your life if you add in incentives like that!

Great video,I learned a lot that I didn't know, thanks.

I had the joy of seeing his MIG-15 in person at the Air Force Museum! On top of his Jet being on display, they also have: his TT33 pistol, the 100,000 dollar check, and several personal belongings he had on him! Very very cool display!

That's was a great video, by the way. Would it be possible to do about Viktor Belenko & Alexander Zuyev who defect with MiG-25 & MiG-29?

Thank you for this beauteful informationed video.

Great video and story

Very intelligent man. Could be a great intelligence officer. Also, got all the perfect condition for his defection. Intelligent, brave, strong-willed, and very lucky. But the price to pay though, family, love ones, and comrades that get left behind. That's how they can hold them off from leaving.

To all American servicemen and women military and civil. I thank you for your service and sacrifices you have made for your family, and country. May your names be remembered with honor.

What a amazing story of a man seeking freedom & doing it in a spectacular way. Hollywood should make a movie of this!

A VERY nice video. thank you

His risky escape could've cost him his life or worse but thank god that he has luck om his side on managing to escape amd defect from North Korea to go to South korea military Airbase so that he can live his good life getting him freedom and enjoying what he wanted. I salute this man for his risky but a great action.

my dad was at that airfield and met that man during the war. they were surprised how good that mig was.

I’ve seen his aircraft a bunch, I go to the museum all the time. And love seeing his MiG along with the museums collection of other MiG aircraft

Yup. That plane sits at the Museum to this day. I saw it on display with a Sabre last January.

There was a flight sim game in the nineties, "Chuck Yeager's Air Combat", which had a fictionalised version of this as one of the missions

Proud to be an American 🇺🇲

There should be a channel dedicated to uplifting stories just like this! I was blown away watching this.

never heard of this, epic video.

That's crazy. I saw that very plane (Mig-15) in the Dayton USAF museum a few weeks ago

*This story could make a pretty good movie if it was ever made.*

Lets go another video

I remember reading about for this for the first time.

Very good job dudes!! Congratulations 991.71% yo. The man may not have been born an American citizen, but he's more American than many in my country.

US Pilot: Mig! Mig! NK pilot: Motor Car! Motor Car! US Pilot: Oh! Understandable. Here’s 100k more.

$100k in 1953 is worth about $1.2m now. Noiiice!

I didn't know about him, such a brave intelligent man!

A prime example of "it's now or never".

As an insane Californian man once said, "Just do it. Don't let your dreams be dreams."

Wow, great story ❤❤❤❤

Great vid! I was expecting to hear about Chuck Yeager too, after just reading his autobiography, in which there is a chapter on his last flight as a test pilot, after which he went back to flying in active military service. His last test flight was the captured MIG-15. During the debrief, one of the other pilots to fly the MIG said that the Sabre was superior in most every way, but Yeager disagreed, saying it’s got some issiues, but it’s not the plane, it’s the pilot. The other man disagreed so Chuck beat him first while flying his Sabre against the other man in the MIG, and then they traded planes and Yeager won again.

His life deserves to have a movie.

0:24 nice details with the horns

I've seen that plane add my last visit to the museum but I had no idea it belonged to a Defector

The actual aircraft is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

In 1965 I observed the exact same thing. At Ramey AFB in Puerto Rico Lt. Roberto Mendez flew there and defected. I watched as he pulled up to base operations. Some 55 years later I am telling this story in Spanish to my eye doctor. The eye doctor was LT Mendez’s. Nephew. Mendez defected from the rebel Dominican Air Force.

I learned about Operation Moolah in the 1990's, playing the mission on "Chuck Yeager Air Combat".

Quite an unfortunate name...

Can't imagine what his family went through

This story is amazing I’ve visited the museum but never knew the full story

You all should do a video on the Belgian resistance in WWII They were really cool and pretty overlooked compared to the French resistance

These comment bots piss me off

Absolute Legend.

I did not expect to hear Chuck Yeager's name, a surprise to be sure but a welcome one

Not surprised he changed his name, given the propensity for people to make fun of words that sound like different words in their native tongue.

me pretending to agree with my communist professors in my college elective courses so I can get an A

Yeager wrote in his book that he was pissed he had to fly the mig. He absolutely despised it's handling and felt it was inferior to the sabre ❤

Yes, it's a great example of starting over, living free, sacrifice,,extreme sacrifice.

Whoa! Has there ever been a movie made about this story?

The only NORTH KOREAN I thank for his service and proud to have you as me AMERICAN brother

I can already picture his hands must had been sweating and his body shaking as he flew that mig out of North Korea, like your doing what is a very daring move your whole body it trembling with a mix of fear an excitement in what your gonna do an your just hoping to god no one spots you or gets shot down from either side. An it was sweet that the soldiers gave him a nice cold coca cola as his first American drink, the most iconic soft drink that American are known for drinking.

There is an interesting book about this incident called The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot by Blaine Harden. I read it a few years ago

What an amazing and crazy story 🎉

Bless this North Korean pilot who defected three months after the Korean War ended! No was a very brave man to have risked his life by landing at a USAF base, emigrating to the US, then becoming an American citizen. And the Mig aircraft eventually ended up in an Air Force museum. Shows me a man of conviction who loved the Land of the Free. ☺️😸

It is crazy that in his lifetime, he saw how the Soviet communist tore apart his home land and then watch his government choose to become an ally of the very communist Soviet government that forced them to flee for South Korea.

As a military brat, i have nothing but respect to dare to dream and gather the conviction and resolve to follow through in face of the odds. May he rest in peace.

fantastic story

I read the title as “defecation” at first 😅

I havn't been to that museum in years, as a kid our school would bus us down there every year where, as kids do, we ran around ignorant of the history around us. Bockscar is there, the plane that dropped the bomb over nagasaki. I must go and actually learn something. Also, there's a nuclear railcar I never knew was there.

Looking at the movies at my local multi-cinema, I see mostly remakes and comic books. This guy's story would have been so much better.

He brought in the latest model Mig.

Very excellent. Thank You. I've heard many stories about defectors from Communist countries & I always ask, "What happened to their families"? And, "Was it therefore worth it"?

That was a great story. That man is a true American badass

7:35 he sure get the freedom juice 😂😂😂

This story is incredibly interesting 🤔

"MOTORCAR! MOTORCAR!"

motorcar! motorcar! i died laughing.

I'm blessed to have heard this as told to us by General "Tom" Collins, the first American pilot to fly the MIG 15. He was a member of our Aero Club at Kelly/Lackland Air Force base, San Antonio. According to Gen. Collins, the pilot had a leaflet with him. America had dropped these leaflets advertising that the first pilot to defect and bring a MIG 15 to the Americans would get citizenship and $100K. There were performance characteristics of the MIG 15 that were not understood, so we wanted one. When the cease fire stopped the hostilities, Gen. Collins said he didn't think we'd get our hands on one and they were very surprised to hear about this happening. Here's a fun part of the story he told to us that you may enjoy: They got the plane disassembled quickly and got it to Kaden Air Base, Okinawa. Inside a hanger, they set about disassembling the plane to reverse engineer it and learn how it works - so they could teach themselves how to fly it. In the hanger one day they were lifting the ejection seat off its guide rails with an overhead crane. As soon as it cleared the rails, they heard a ticking sound, like a clock ticking. Thinking the plane was booby trapped in some way, they evacuated the hanger immediately and watched from a safe distance. After about 20 minutes, he said they "found the lowest ranking guy and sent him in to investigate." It turns out that the MIG 15 has a mechanical device that would be triggered as the seat left the rails. After the timer ran out, the restraint holding the pilot to the seat would separate so he wasn't parachuting to the ground with a very heavy seat attached to him. In American fighters this was accomplished by means of a small explosive charge, so they weren't expecting the ticking sound. He was an incredible man with a photographic memory. I believe he got to meet the North Korean pilot in person, but I'm not 100% certain of that. This story is fascinating - thanks for sharing the video and thanks for letting this old Airman chime in.

Amazing!

Am I the only one who heard "no c*m sock" 😮

that's a comical name