Attention Airman!

Jung Sung-ki, Staff Reporter at The Korean Times just posted a short news post that on an initial glance gives all the impression of being an April fools joke, with one caveat though, the article's date is 3-21-06.

Apparently the South Korean Air force will be recruiting e-Sports athletes, specifically, ProGamers as support personnel for the development of war-simulation programs starting next month. This all comes from an official press release by the South Korean Air force. They will limit the quote and only five such positions will be available.

What exact function will they be carrying out? Well even though they have given them interesting titles it all boils down to beta-testing. "The gamers will take part in the development of the Air Force's aviation simulation programs and war-game simulations as program testers. They can join domestic e-sports festivals but are not allowed to receive prize money."

South Korean Air force wants StarCraft ProGamers!

First Lieutenant Park Seung-yup of the Defense Ministry's public affairs office told The Korea Times that, "generally, professional gamers are very skilled in dealing with computer-related things. We're sure their capabilities will produce a substantial synergy effect for the military's online programs.''

They will of course have to do a four-week basic military training course but the first five such positions will be starting their duties June this year at the South Korean Air Force's headquarters in South Chungchong Province. It is not surprise that Andrew Seong, a spokesman for the Korea e-Sports Association, hailed the decision as "a great opportunity for pro-gamers to contribute their special abilities to the country.''

So it seems that the US Air force trend has caught on in other parts of the world. Who knows, maybe next time it will be the German Luftwaffe.