No Kum-sok was a North Korean-born American engineer and aviator who served as a senior lieutenant in the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force during the Korean War. Under colonial rule, No was required to adopt a Japanese name, Okamura Kiyoshi. Approximately two months after the end of hostilities, he defected to South Korea in a MiG-15 aircraft, and was subsequently granted political asylum in the United States. He then adopted the English name Kenneth H. Rowe.
No in 1953
No as a toddler in 1935, with his father, who was a baseball player.
No meeting with Vice President Richard Nixon at the U.S. Capitol in May 1954.
No's MiG-15 at Gimpo Airport on September 21, 1953, minutes after No's defection and arrival.
Korean People's Army Air Force
The Korean People's Army Air Force is the unified military aviation force of North Korea. It is the second largest branch of the Korean People's Army comprising an estimated 110,000 members. As of 2024, it is estimated to possess some 570 combat aircraft, 200 helicopters, and a few transporters, mostly of decades-old Soviet and Chinese origin. Its primary task is to defend North Korean airspace.
In April 2022, the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force name was changed to Korean People's Army Air Force.
An abandoned NKPAF Ilyushin Il-10 captured by UN forces at Kimpo Airfield in September 1950.
A North Korean Shenyang J-6
A North Korean MiG-29 in 2003
The FT-2 is a Chinese built MiG-15 similar to this one
