Korean historians claim that Lieutenant Narahara of the Japanese navy in the summer of 1913 was the first to fly in Korea when he tested his airplane over the fields near Yongsan, Seoul. It is nearly impossible to dispute or prove “firsts” because new information has a wonderful way of being uncovered.
I have included in this article one of the first pictures of an airplane in Korea: circa 1912-1913, and also the account of possibly the first aviator in Korea. The account is suspect at best, but still is interesting:
The aviator wrote about his near-death experience in Japan:
“I had a narrow escape in Nogroya from being murdered by some superstitious natives, who plotted to destroy my machine and poison me. A little slave girl heard two of the conspirators talking and gave us warning in time. As a reward we bought her out of slavery and sent her home.”
Read the rest of the article here: The Mystery of Korea’s First Aviator
One Comment
Before the Japanese turned Chang Kyung Koong into a Dong Mul Won, a zoo, I am curious to where the Chosun king kept exotic animals, or the question of whether or not Korea even had a king’s zoo, sort to speak.
Elephant would not be native to Korea. or Japan or China. It must have come from South Asia.
But how? Via the Qing Emperor or the Japanese?
Seems like the Chosun King gave the flying man something quite valuable but at the same time quite impratical to take with him.