Below the gunsight on Lt. No Kum-Sok’s MiG-15 was the following admonition in red Korean characters: “Pour out and zero in this vindictive ammunition to the damn Yankees.”
What startled United Nations forces in November 1950 was the introduction of the Soviet-built MiG-15 into battle by the communists. It was the plane’s advanced design and exceptional performance that caused such alarm. The US hoped one of the planes could be acquired for technical analysis and flight evaluation. However, MiG-15 pilots were cautious not to fly over UN territory where they might be forced down.
In April 1953, the US Far East Command offered $100,000 for the first MiG-15 delivered intact. No enemy pilot took advantage of this offer, and when the Korean truce went into effect on Jul. 27, 1953, the US still had not acquired a MiG-15 for flight testing.
On Sep. 21, 1953, a MiG-15bis (a more advanced version of the original MiG-15) suddenly landed downwind at Kimpo Air Base near Seoul, South Korea, greatly surprising the personnel there. The aircraft was piloted by 21-year-old Senior Lt. No Kum-Sok of the North Korean Air Force, who had long before decided to escape to South Korea.
Right after arriving at Kimpo AB, the young aviator discovered the $100,000 reward. Fortunately, he also learned that his mother had successfully been moved from North Korea to South Korea in 1951 and that she was both alive and in good health.
The MiG-15bis was transported to Okinawa, where test pilot Capt. first piloted it. H.E. “Tom” Collins. Following that, Collins and Maj. C.E. “Chuck” Yeager conducted additional test flights. The aircraft was disassembled and airlifted to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in December 1953, where it was reassembled and thoroughly flight-tested. The United States then proposed returning the MiG to its rightful owners, but no nation came forward to claim the aircraft. In 1957, it was transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
At his request, No and his mother traveled to the United States to pursue lives of freedom. He adopted the name Kenneth Rowe, got married, became a U.S. citizen, and completed his studies at the University of Delaware. Notably, just beneath the gunsight on his MiG-15bis were the words in red Korean characters: “Pour out and zero in this vindictive ammunition to the damn Yankees.”
Source: National Museum of the United States Air Force
Photo by U.S. Air Force
