VIDEO. South Korea: at 18, the world drone racing champion is already thinking about retirement

Near a South Korean paddy field, 18-year-old Kang Chang-hyeon trains tirelessly to defend his world title, possibly for the last time.

Because in its discipline - drone racing - you often retire even before having done your military service.

Wedged in the back of his seat, the young South Korean is motionless, except for the almost imperceptible pressure of his fingers on the control lever.

In his bubble, he seems hypnotized by the driving of the flying car, which he pilots as if he were "on board", thanks to a virtual reality headset.

A top speed of 170 km / h

Racing machines can reach up to 170 km / h: “Coolness is essential because victory can be decided on a decision to be made in a fraction of a second,” says Kang Chang-hyeon.

The races are often so close that the gaps are measured to the thousandth of a second.

Like all South Koreans, Kang will have to go through a military service of around 18 months before he turns 30, his country still technically at war with Pyongyang.

His trainer Kim Jae-hong wants to believe that Kang's skills will be very useful in national defense.

"Observation missions consist of controlling a drone with a live video link, which is the same as drone racing," the trainer hopes.

With 555,000 soldiers, the army of the South is outnumbered by that of the North, which is 1.28 million soldiers strong.

But its technological superiority is overwhelming, including in the field of drones.

The South Korean Ministry of Defense claims to have a fleet of 800 devices.