The Faces of Turso: Meet Seon Woo Kim

Turso is the next evolution of SQLite. It is a complete rewrite of the iconic database, adapting it to the demands of modern applications. But more important than any specific feature, Turso is an Open Contribution project. We welcome developers to come, contribute and become core members of the community.

One of the things that has always fascinated me about Open Source is how it is open to anybody. Talent can come from anywhere, and the idea that you are judged solely on the merits of your work, and not your credentials, is something I always found powerful.

In the 20+ years in which I am in tech, I have found people running circles around anyone else that had no formal education in Computer Science. Psychology majors, Doctors, Social Scientists, Early childhood educators, just to name a few that I have actually seen an interacted with!

Turso is thankfully no different. I sat down to chat with one of our top contributors, Seon Woo Kim. He has consistently been one of the most prolific contributors to Turso, and also comes from a non-traditional background. Software wins again: Aviation lost this one to us!

#Tell us more about yourself

My name is Seon Woo Kim, a software engineer from South Korea. I began my adulthood by majoring in flight operations, with the dream of becoming a pilot after graduation (I still have my pilot licenses in my pocket!). However, just as I was about to graduate, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic struck the aviation industry, leaving me with nowhere to turn. I needed to find a new path—one that could offer a wide range of experiences. That’s when I discovered programming. With no prior experience, I decided to take on the challenge. (At first, I thought it would be easy—but, as with most things, you never truly realize how hard it is until you dig deeper.) The journey to my first job felt like a turbulent flight, but it ultimately led me to where I am today: working at a fast-growing startup, where each day brings new experiences and opportunities that I truly enjoy

#Wow! One of my dreams is to get a pilot license one day. Flying must feel really liberating!

Yeah, I sometimes dream about those flying days.

#How did you learn about Turso?

I love to wander around GitHub repositories, and one day I stumbled upon an early-stage database project accompanied by a surprisingly readable paper written by Pekka. (To be honest, research papers are usually tough for me to get through, but Pekka’s work was one of the first that felt approachable.) I was fascinated, especially since I had already developed a strong interest in databases and system programming. In fact, when it comes to databases, I’m a huge fan of Andy Pavlo, the professor leading the CMU Database Group. I never miss a chance to listen to his lectures.

So when I discovered Turso, it felt like the perfect place to deepen my interest—not just by learning from others, but by contributing directly.

#What motivated you to start contributing to Turso?

The Turso project has an interesting focus, with wonderful contributors and a welcoming community. I joined when the project was still relatively small, and the development speed was lightning fast—which immediately drew me in. In most other open-source projects, it can take months just to get a single PR merged, but at Turso, things moved quickly. Beyond the code, the community was equally inspiring, sharing great insights and talks that gave me countless opportunities to learn and grow.

#You were in aviation before. One of the things I’ve always found fascinating about SQLite is that it runs a lot of mission critical systems on planes. Is this something you were aware of when you started contributing to Turso?

I’ve learned that aviation software must be extremely reliable and even tolerate Byzantine failures. I’ve always wondered what kind of software is built into airplanes. I didn’t realize SQLite was one of them - but if Turso could ever replace one of those systems, that would be incredibly motivating!

#How did your contributions to Turso help advance your career ?

Turso opened a door for me, giving me the chance to explore a wide range of domains such as databases and system programming. Before joining, I often hesitated to dive into projects I had no prior experience with. I worried I might become a bottleneck for the team. But through my time contributing to Turso, I learned how to approach unfamiliar challenges with confidence and found the courage to take them on. Today, my work focuses on developing products for customers using a variety of software tools. Looking ahead, I may choose to follow a different path—one dedicated to building software tools for programmers, creating resources that empower developers in the same way others once empowered me.

#What are the things you had fun the most doing in Turso?

One thing I truly appreciate is the freedom to share ideas and bring them into the project. For instance, I suggested implementing Java bindings for the Turso database—and I began developing them from day one. Even now, I still get chances to contribute to the core modules in my free time, and each time it reignites my passion for databases. I also love chatting with the contributors—it’s always a blast, almost like hanging out with professional comedians. (Sometimes I wonder why they chose programming, because if they had taken another path, I’m sure they would have been just as successful.)

#Who is the funniest person in the community? You know there’s only one right answer there. Make sure the letter 'P' is disabled on your keyboard.

Haha, you stole the only correct answer! The Turso Discord always feels like half tech forum, half comedy club thanks to you all. But since I can't say you-know-who, Jussi takes the title.

#Next steps?

Do I trust someone who considers Jussi the funniest person in our community? Hardly. But am I impressed with Seon's contribution to the project so far? You bet!

Want to join Seon and our more than 150 contributors in writing the next evolution of SQLite ? Star and join us on Github today!