Major Cho Sung Min, who has been serving at the forefront as the flight commander of the 110th Fighter Squadron, has been selected as the South Korean Air Force’s Best Pilot for 2024.
On Thursday, the South Korean Air Force announced that it will hold the Best Pilot Award Ceremony at the Air Force Hotel in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, under the supervision of Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Young Su. The award recipient will receive a trophy and a presidential citation.
The Air Force selects the best pilot annually, evaluating pilots from all flying squadrons based on various criteria, including flight experience, service record, and achievements. Since the program’s inception in 1979, 46 pilots have earned this prestigious honor.
Major Cho is a veteran pilot with over 2,100 flight hours. In 2024, while serving as a flight commander, he achieved a personal record of 2,000 hours of accident-free flight.
He has also conducted emergency sorties in response to various urgent situations, including identifying unidentified aircraft within the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ). Additionally, he piloted an F-15K aircraft for aerial filming during the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman’s New Year command flight and the live-fire test of the long-range air-to-ground guided missile (TAURUS), helping to showcase the Air Force’s capabilities both domestically and internationally.
Major Cho stated, “I believe that all my senior and junior colleagues silently carrying out their duties at the highest altitudes of South Korea are the true best pilots. I also want to express my love and gratitude to my wife and daughter, Haeon, who have always supported and believed in me.”
On the same day, Major Cho will also receive the “Kim Shin Award,” which honors General Kim Shin, the second son of independence activist Kim Gu and the 6th Air Force Chief of Staff. The award includes a cash prize of approximately $6,900. General Kim Shin was a key commander in the Sinho-ri Railroad Bridge interdiction operation, one of the three major air victory operations during the Korean War, and later established the Air Force Operations Command.
The award ceremony will also recognize the best pilots in different aircraft categories. Three other pilots will receive the Minister of National Defense Citation and cash prizes.
Major Lee Gu Yong of the 39th Fighter Wing (KF-16 pilot) was selected in the fighter jet category. Major Jang Hyun Jae of the 5th Air Mobility Wing (CN-235 pilot) was recognized in the airlift, surveillance and control, and aerial refueling category. Major Park Jin Eung of the 1st Fighter Wing (T-50 pilot) was honored in the training category.