The U.S. National Park Service is positively considering a request to designate the site of a flying school that Korea's government-in-exile established in California in 1920 as a historical asset, a Korean-American scholar said.
The Willows Korean Aviation School near San Francisco was established in Feb. 20, 1920, as part of Korea's independence fight against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, and is considered the predecessor of South Korea's Air Force.
Professor Chang Tae-han of the University of California, Riverside said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday that the National Park Service is reviewing the request for designating the site as a "National Historic Landmark."
The school produced 77 pilots until 1923.
Last year, Chang authored a book about the school's history, titled "Korean American Pioneer Aviators: The Willows Airmen," jointly with Korean-American journalist Han Woo-sung.
"This book is based on about four years of in-depth investigation and research, as well as newly uncovered American newspapers and U.S. government documents," Chang said, adding that the park service is paying attention to the fact that the book contains objective facts and historical materials." (Yonhap)
