An Chang-nam
Encyclopedia
An Chang-nam was the first Korean
aviator
.
, he is believed to have been inspired to learn to fly after having seen an aerobatics
demonstration by American
pilot Art Smith
in 1916 or 1917. In 1920, he graduated from Japan
's Okuri Aviation School in Susaki (present-day Kōtō, Tokyo
. He passed his examinations to obtain a basic pilot's permit the following year; through his flying in demonstrations in Japan, he was able to obtain a first-class pilot's licence without sitting further examinations. On his triumphant homecoming flight to visit Korea in December 1922, he landed at Seoul's Yeouido
Airport. Upon his return to Japan, he worked as a flight instructor; however, after he witnessed the massacre of Koreans in Japan in the aftermath of the 1 September 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
, he became resolved to fight against Japanese rule over Korea
, and in 1924 secretly went into exile in China
. There, he joined the infantry of Guo Songling
's army; afterwards, he lived in Beijing, becoming active in the Korean independence movement
there. At the introduction of Lyuh Woon-Hyung
, he joined Yen Hsi-shan's army in 1926 and relocated to Taiyuan
, Shanxi
, where he became principal of the Shanxi Aviation Academy. He lived there until his death on 2 April 1930, when he crashed his plane in bad weather while returning to the airport after an unplanned flight. He was posthumously awarded South Korea
's Order of Merit for National Foundation
in 2003.
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
.
Overview
Born and raised in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, he is believed to have been inspired to learn to fly after having seen an aerobatics
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
demonstration by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pilot Art Smith
Art Smith (pilot)
Art Smith was an American pilot. He grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Fort Wayne's Smith Field is named after him. In 1910, his parents mortgaged their home for $1,800 so that he could build a plane, on which he spent six months; however, he crashed it on his first flight, destroying everything...
in 1916 or 1917. In 1920, he graduated from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's Okuri Aviation School in Susaki (present-day Kōtō, Tokyo
Koto, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 442,271 and a population density of 11,070 persons per km². The total area is 39.48 km². The ward refers to itself as Kōtō City in English....
. He passed his examinations to obtain a basic pilot's permit the following year; through his flying in demonstrations in Japan, he was able to obtain a first-class pilot's licence without sitting further examinations. On his triumphant homecoming flight to visit Korea in December 1922, he landed at Seoul's Yeouido
Yeouido
Yeouido is a large island in the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. It is Seoul's main business and investment banking district. Its 8.4 square kilometers are home to some 30,988 people. The island is located in the Yeongdeungpo-gu district of Seoul, and largely corresponds to the precinct of...
Airport. Upon his return to Japan, he worked as a flight instructor; however, after he witnessed the massacre of Koreans in Japan in the aftermath of the 1 September 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
, he became resolved to fight against Japanese rule over Korea
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
, and in 1924 secretly went into exile in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. There, he joined the infantry of Guo Songling
Guo Songling
Guo Songling was a Manchurian general who led a three month rebellion against his commanding warlord - Zhang Zuolin....
's army; afterwards, he lived in Beijing, becoming active in the Korean independence movement
Korean independence movement
The Korean independence movement grew out of the Japanese colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945. After the Japanese surrendered, Korea became independent; that day is now an annual holiday called Gwangbokjeol in South Korea, and Chogukhaebangŭi nal in North Korea.-Background:In...
there. At the introduction of Lyuh Woon-Hyung
Lyuh Woon-Hyung
Yuh Woon-Hyung was a Korean politician who argued that Korean independence was essential to world peace, and a reunification activist who struggled for the independent reunification of Korea since its national division in 1945....
, he joined Yen Hsi-shan's army in 1926 and relocated to Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
, where he became principal of the Shanxi Aviation Academy. He lived there until his death on 2 April 1930, when he crashed his plane in bad weather while returning to the airport after an unplanned flight. He was posthumously awarded South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
's Order of Merit for National Foundation
Order of Merit for National Foundation
The Order of Merit for National Foundation is an Order of South Korea. It is typically reserved for those who contributed to the founding of the modern Republic of Korea.It is awarded in five grades:...
in 2003.