[Power K-Women] Female Pilot Jo Eun-jung: "It's Never Too Late for Dreams... If Your Heart Tells You, You Should Try"

Foreign Female Pilot Admired by Chance, Achieves Dream at 35
Trained at Osan US Air Force Base, Delta Air Lines Flight Academy
Endured Various Prejudices and Misunderstandings... First Korean Female Pilot in China

"There is a time for everything, but that is just the optimal time. Even if you're a little late, there's nothing you can't do."

This is the words of pilot Jo Eun-jung, who published the book We Are All on a Long-Haul Flight! (Jaum & Mo-eum). She first took the controls as a pilot at the age of thirty-five. Compared to the industry average of starting flight careers in the late twenties, her beginning was relatively late. However, she did not give in to reality or adversity. Despite the discouragement and concerns from those around her based on the idea of the "optimal time," she persistently challenged herself and ultimately found her path. What was the driving force that made her struggle over 20 years ago? She credits all of it to the support of her seniors. Their encouragement, saying "You can do it. The important thing is your heart. It depends on you..."

From a young age, she was a child who made decisions and found her own way. Born as the youngest of six siblings, she was raised like an only daughter. There was a nine-year age gap between her and her immediate older brother, so when she started school, her older siblings were already out in society or busy supporting their own families. She was spoiled and doted on, and did not grow up being overly pampered. Although the loss of her mother when she was young left a big void, her strict father was insensitive to her needs. She had to manage cooking, housework, and daily life on her own. Fortunately, these experiences later became valuable assets through the difficult journey to becoming a pilot.

She first dreamed of becoming a pilot at the age of 29, while working at a hotel. One day, while manning the hotel front desk, she was struck by the sight of a female captain confidently leading two male co-pilots. Although she had occasionally seen female co-pilots, seeing a female captain walking proudly ahead of male co-pilots captivated her eyes and heart. She recalls that moment as "the instant when all prejudices about female pilots were completely shattered."

Captain Jo Eun-jung of Eastar Jet, author of "We Are All on a Long-Haul Flight!" Photo by Huh Young-han younghan@

Discouraged from Becoming a Pilot in Korea... Abroad, "WHY NOT?"

Immediately, she sought ways to become a pilot. However, the process of becoming a pilot in Korea was not smooth. Most pilots came from aviation universities or the Air Force, and the industry was struggling after the 2000s Asian financial crisis. The threshold of prejudice was high. Most Korean pilots expressed reluctance, emphasizing her "age," "short stature," and "gender" as limitations. They exaggerated the problems they had faced or anticipated and disguised their discouragement as "advice for your own good," urging her to give up.

But foreign pilots thought differently. They unanimously said, "If you have the will, there is no problem," and shouted "WHY NOT?" Encouraged by their support, she sought a path. Not having graduated from an aviation university nor being an Air Force veteran, she noticed the flying club inside Osan Air Base. Hearing that working at the U.S. Embassy would grant access to the U.S. military base, she knocked on the embassy door.

However, the embassy door did not open easily. Some might think she was lucky to get what she wanted easily, but after multiple rejections, she finally passed the embassy secretary exam in October 2001. Over the next three years working at the embassy, she obtained a private pilot license at the flying club inside Osan Air Base and later went to study in the U.S. She said, "Unlike abroad, Korea has a unique atmosphere of 'I struggled, so you will too,' but at that time, I jumped in with the mindset of 'if it doesn't work out, so be it.'"

Captain Jo Eun-jung of Eastar Jet, author of "We Are All on a Long-Haul Flight!" Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

Full of Misunderstandings, Conflicts, and Wounds Until Becoming a Captain

The female flight instructor she met in the U.S. was strict. Although conditions were better than in Korea, the instructor pushed her hard to overcome the prejudiced views toward women that still existed in the U.S. at the time. She was sparing with praise and ruthless with mistakes. One day, unable to hold back her tears, the female instructor said, "We women cannot compete by doing the same as men. We have to be better than men to be chosen."

After passing the harsh training, she entered China, which was a "land of opportunity" for pilots due to soaring demand. However, establishing herself there was like walking through a thorny path. As the first Korean female pilot in China, she passed the captain exam at a Chinese airline, but her official appointment was delayed for six years due to internal company factional conflicts. She was also mistakenly identified as the Korean male captain involved in a so-called "cut-in landing" (landing without air traffic control permission due to fuel shortage risk), which triggered a fierce backlash from Chinese netizens. It was the greatest crisis of her life, facing unprecedented criticism.

Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared, and she was introduced in the Korean media as a "female pilot active overseas," but being introduced as a captain (having passed the captain exam but not officially appointed) caused a controversy over alleged lying. At that time, she was not given enough opportunity to explain that despite being qualified, she had to wait without reason due to internal company power struggles.

After joining a domestic airline in 2013, the adaptation process was also tough. Entering the pilot world, where close-knit relationships had already been formed, she had to endure a difficult adjustment period filled with misunderstandings, distortions, exclusion, and criticism. The reasons were hard to pinpoint. Once, a kindness she showed to a Korean pilot she met in China (who was at risk of losing qualifications due to vision issues) was turned into slander through an acquaintance working at a Korean airline. She said, "The online slander was so severe that since then I stopped reading internet comments," and "I was shocked when I found out one of the people posting slander was from the same company."

Prejudice against female pilots was also a challenge. Even when unavoidable returns due to air turbulence occurred, some passengers openly doubted, asking, "Is it because the captain is a woman?" Jo Eun-jung explains that despite the number of female pilots increasing significantly over the past decade, their presence remains minimal because of such prejudice. "In 2013, there were fewer than 20 female pilots in Korea, but now each airline has about 20. However, the reason female pilots are not more visible might be due to the prejudice against them."

Captain Eunjeong Jo of Eastar Jet, author of "We Are All on a Long-Haul Flight!" Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

Pilot Is a Calling, Can't Miss the Thrill of Challenge

Nevertheless, being a pilot is a "calling" for her. She says, "The sense of accomplishment from the challenge of takeoff and landing is enormous. Even if I had enough money to never work again, I wouldn't be able to let go of the controls." However, she is currently going through a difficult period. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline she worked for underwent restructuring, and since late 2020, she has not been able to board a plane. As the endemic situation improves, work resumed in May, but it is uncertain whether her name will be included in the final return list. Although the list of returning employees was announced, her name was not included, and it is expected that there may be no additional returns. Being a specialized profession, it is difficult to transfer to other fields using her pilot experience. Recently working part-time at a flower shop, she said, "There have been many setbacks in my life, but I am not the type to hold onto them. How can everything go my way? Although I feel frustrated, nothing will change by being depressed, so I am managing my mind. If you have the will, you can do anything." She is waiting for the day to take off and soar again.

Pilot Jo Eun-jung

She took the controls as a captain of a Boeing 737 passenger plane. She started her career at a Japanese credit card company and worked as a hotelier at the Seoul Hilton Hotel. After accidentally seeing a foreign female pilot at the hotel, she nurtured her dream of becoming a pilot and eventually achieved it. To become a pilot, after three attempts, she joined the U.S. Embassy, worked as a secretary at the ambassador's residence, and began flight training at the U.S. Air Force base in Osan. After receiving professional pilot training at Delta Air Lines Flight Academy, she worked as an instructor at Beijing Pan Am Aviation School in China and then joined Shanghai Zhixiang Airlines as a pilot. She served as a first officer on the Airbus 320 before becoming a captain at Eastar Jet.