Why did the United Nations need to study a MiG-15? The Soviets designed the new fighter just after WWII. It was a high-altitude day interceptor that needed to take off and land on paved runways with length of 2,400 meters, was able to reach almost Mach 1, be maneuverable at high altitude, armed with cannons, and had the ability to stay in the air for over 1 hour. The Soviets powered it with a Soviet-built copy of a Rolls Royce "Nene" engine with higher thrust.. It had serious shortcomings in handling. The high T-shaped tail obscured the rear, and the canopy fogged up during rapid dives if not serviced properly. Still, its performance was superior to that of any Western fighter. The MiG-15 totally outclassed the American P-51 Mustangs, F-80 Shooting Stars, and the F-84 Thunder jets. The Americans had to wait until December 1950 for the arrival of the swept-wing F-86 Sabre-jet. Even then the MiG-15 climbed and dived faster, and was every bit as maneuverable.

On September 21, 1953, U.S. airmen at Kimpo Air Base near Seoul, Korea, were startled to see landing a MiG-15, the most advanced Soviet-built fighter plane of the era, piloted by Senior Lieutenant No Kum-Sok, a 21-year-old North Korean Air Force officer.

Once he landed, Lieutenant No found that his mother had escaped to the South two years earlier, and they were soon reunited. At his request, No came to the United States and became a U.S. citizen. His story provides a unique insight into how North Korea conducted the Korean War and how he came to the decision to leave his homeland.

Although the offer had been made through all the means of communication available, He stated that he had never heard of the reward. The young fighter pilot had simply decided that life under Communism was slavery, and had elected to defect to freedom. He was photographed receiving a fake check for $100,000 at a ceremony in Okinawa.

No told me recently, "There were no MiGs stationed in North Korea during the leaflet dropping period, and at no time were any Chinese or Soviet MiG-15s ever stationed in North Korea. Even if a North Korean pilot got hold of the leaflet, what would it mean? We had no concept of the value of the dollar. How could anybody trust the authenticity of the promise in a leaflet that fell down from the sky? My salary was 500,000 Chinese Won per month, which was worth about $50 in U.S. currency. However, we had no use of the money. Everything was provided for us and we were restricted to the airbase during the war. I was absolutely ignorant of what could be purchased with $100,000 then. A used car? A small house? Enough to live on for a year? Of course I had no way of knowing this in 1953. The Russians had more freedom than we did. They went outside of the base often and bought back vodka. They were generous in sharing the vodka with the North Korean pilots. North Korean MiG pilots shared the mess-hall with the Soviet MiG pilots at Antung Airbase."

The following June, “Mister” No Kum-Sok entered the University of Delaware as a freshman student. He westernized his name to Kenneth Rowe and became an American citizen. “Professor Rowe” later co-authored a book with J. Roger Osterholm. The title of the book is A MiG-15 to Freedom: Memoir of a Wartime North Korean Defector Who First Delivered the Secret Fighter to the Americans in 1953, McFarland & Co., Jefferson, NC, 1996.

During his time in the United States, Ken Rowe worked for Boeing, General Dynamics, General Motors, General Electric, Lockheed, Grumman and Westinghouse. He taught engineering at the University of North Dakota and most recently at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.

No Kum-sok has told his story to many audiences since 1953, and he tells it well, consistent in the facts, clear about his state of mind, and unapologetic about his treason. He clearly regrets that his defection cost the lives of at least five people implicated by their association with him. One of them was his best friend, Lieutenant Kun Soo-sung, who knew of his plan to defect and did not inform on him. Another may have been his uncle, You Ki-un, an officer who once vouched for No’s dedication to Communism. Another was a battlefield (aviation) vice commander, who had also vouched for his loyalty. The others were in No’s chain of command, and No regards their execution as a normal risk in Communist military forces.