[THE INVESTOR] Kim Min-chan is a 13-year-old professional drone pilot, more often referred to as a “monster,” for his jaw-dropping flying skills.

When he was just two, he got his hands on an RC flight simulator used by professional pilots. Within months, he reached expert levels.

“Min-chan taught himself after watching me use the computer program,” said his father who himself is an RC enthusiast. Realizing his son was gifted, he soon took the boy outside to fly model airplanes and helicopters.

At the age of five, Kim competed in his first RC competition. Since then, he has swept major championships in Korea, including those organized by the Korean Army, Air Force and Transport Ministry. His talent was also recognized overseas -- being invited to competitions all over the world, including Taiwan, Germany, and the US.

In January 2016, the teenager moved onto quadcopters, having fallen instantly in love after watching someone fly them. So it wasn’t unusual that his next love interest was drones.

“When Min-chan asked me for a drone, I bought one right away,” said his father. “It’s actually cheaper, at around US$400, while an RC helicopter costs US$4,000. So I thought, ‘Why not?’”

Why not, indeed. In 2016 alone, Kim won 11 drone championships including the Drone Show Korea, World Drone Prix Freestyle, and Asia Cup Shanghai. He took home nearly US$100,000 in prize money and annual salary from GiGA5 -- a professional drone team run by telecom firm KT. Such prowess has earned him several nicknames, such as Kim Yu-na of the drone world -- after the famous figure skating champion -- and AlphaGo -- the computer program that beat human Go masters.

I prefer AlphaGo to Kim Yu-na since the former nickname seems to better appreciate the accuracy and precision of RC controlling skills,” said the 13-year-old whose dream is to become the greatest drone racer in the world. He counts great pilots like Song Young-rok, Luke Bannister and Shaun Taylor, as both his friends and rivals.

Ultimately, Kim aspires to become a fighter pilot.

“The experience of flying drones is thrilling, but it’s not enough. I want to fly my own plane,” he said.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)