Romance in the air: South Korea's first married group captain couple

Major Kim Dong-woo and his wife, Major Lee In-seon, are the Republic of Korea Air Force's first married couple to become group captains. / Yonhap

By Ko Dong-hwan

The 14-year marriage of South Korean Air Force pilots Kim Dong-woo and Lee In-seon has had years of interruption because of the heavy demands of their jobs. The birth of their first child five years into the marriage did little to change things. Lee’s mother in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, has raised the son for her busy daughter.

Kim and Lee, both 38, may have agonized over not being able to provide a “normal” home life, but guarding the nation’s skies has taken precedence. What sustained them was their camaraderie, if not their romantic partnership.

And now the couple shares the honor of being the air force’s first married couple to become group captains.

“There are lots of difficulties managing work and family as a married couple who are also pilots,” said Major Lee of the 5th Air Mobility Wing stationed at Gimhae International Airport, who was promoted to group captain last November. “We have been overcoming the difficulties by understanding each other and reminding ourselves that we are proud to be pilots.”

Lee said she wants to become a caring mother and also a reliable senior pilot for her underlings.

Kim was promoted to group captain a month after his wife. They earned the insignia after they flew almost 3,800 hours: Major Kim of the 19th Fighter Wing stationed in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, flew his fighter jet KF-16 for 1,540 hours, including on South Korea-U.S. joint drills “Max Thunder.” His wife controlled transportation plane CN-235 for 2,250 hours.

The couple graduated from the Republic of Korea Air Force Academy together. Their promotions are based on their work experience, performance records like flight hours, and leadership evaluation. Their jobs are to command missions and drills and oversee pilot training.