South Korean Choi Wonkyun Wins World Drone Championship in Türkiye

SANLIURFA, Türkiye, Oct 3: South Korean FPV drone pilot Choi Wonkyun won the World Drone Championship on Saturday after four days of competition at the TEKNOFEST Southeast World Drone Cup in Türkiye.

Choi finished ahead of compatriot Kim Minjae, who took second place, while Bulgaria’s Dimo Shterev secured third. The winners received their awards from T3 Foundation Board of Trustees Chairman and TEKNOFEST Executive Board Chairman Selcuk Bayraktar, Turkish Defense Industry Agency President Haluk Gorgun and STM General Manager Ozgur Guleryuz.

“I’m really happy to win this competition,” Choi said after the final, thanking his coach and uncle for helping him prepare. He said preparations had been challenging but vowed to return to defend his title.

Kim said he had opportunities to win during the opening rounds but failed to capitalize on them. “It’s obviously totally my fault, and I’m just really disappointed in myself,” he said, promising to return stronger.

Shterev described his third-place finish as “amazing” and somewhat unexpected after a disappointing qualifying performance. He said he improved his pace and consistency throughout the finals and thanked his parents, sponsors and his ROC Special team in China.

A total of 32 pilots from around the world competed in the championship, which began October 1. The competitors raced high-speed first-person-view (FPV) drones that they designed and assembled themselves, testing their speed, reflexes and precision on a challenging course featuring moving gates.

TEKNOFEST Southeast, being held in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, is part of Türkiye’s major aviation, space and technology festival. The event features technology competitions across 14 categories, exhibitions and demonstrations and runs through October 4.