SEOUL– U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander Gen. Paul LaCamera expressed his condolences Wednesday to the family of a South Korean Air Force pilot who died after his F-5E fighter crashed into a mountain the previous day.
In a Facebook post, the USFK said that LaCamera delivered the message on behalf of the USFK, the U.N. Command and the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command. He leads the three commands.
“I offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and airmen of the Republic of Korea Air Force pilot who died Tuesday,” the general was quoted as saying.
“Words cannot convey the loss of the ROKAF pilot who died while protecting and defending the Korean people,” he added, referring to the Republic of Korea Air Force.
The aircraft crashed into a mountain in Hwaseong, some 40 kilometers south of Seoul, minutes after taking off from an Air Force base in the nearby city of Suwon, the Air Force said. The pilot with the rank of captain tried to eject but failed, it added.
Source: Yonhap News Agency