With Korea’s first hosting of an F-1 event just two years off, recruitment and training to develop the first Korean F-1 racer is ongoing, although it turns out this may depend on the meaning of “Korean”.

In preparations for the first F-1 race in Korea in 2010, the possibility of a Korean F-1 driver is becoming more likely. KAVO, the Korea Auto Valley Operation, secured the rights to hold the 2010 F-1 Korea Grand Prix and recruited three candidates last year, and it appears that one of them will race.

In Malaysia, site of the second round of the F-1 World Championship, 47-year old KAVO head Jeong Yeong-jo announced, “we are considering training with the Williams team as well as driving school. Promising racers like Hwang Jin-woo are being interviewed and there will be training in Europe.”

Beginning last year KAVO evaluated the records and skills Korean racers participating in the F1’s lower-ranking F3 division and are carefully choosing the right man. Besides Hwang Jin-woo, who is currently competing in Japan, the other two top candidates are Jo Hang-woo and Choi Myeong-gil, who was adopted by a couple in the Netherlands and is the first person of Korean descent to win an F3 championship.

Mr. Jeong said, “the racers selected as candidates will receive funding to compete in overseas F3 races and the Formula BMW. Over the coming year they will race, gain experience, qualify as a test driver and compete in earnest for a world championship.”

There are currently 11 F-1 teams carrying two drivers per team, for a total of 22 drivers. By country Germany has produced the most at 5, followed by the UK with 4, and Brazil with 3. Among Asian countries Japan has produced 2 (Kazuki Nakajima and Taguma Sato) but there are no Korean or Chinese drivers.