Gangneung Airbase is an airbase holding the 18th fighter wing of the

Republic of Korea Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...

. It is located in

Gangneung Gangneung () is a municipal city in the province of Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved January 14, 2006. Gangneung is the economic ...

, Gangwon-do. The airfield has one runway (8/26), and is ILS equipped on runway 23. In the past, this airfield also used to handle civilian air traffic. The passenger handling functions of this airfield were closed prior to the opening of

Yangyang International Airport Yangyang International Airport is a small international airport in northeastern South Korea. It is located in Yangyang County, Gangwon Province and was built to serve the nearby areas of Sokcho, Gangneung, and Pyeongchang. The airport replace ...

History

During the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, the

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

designated the base as K-18. In 1969, Korean Air Lines YS-11 flying from Gangneung Airbase to

Gimpo International Airport Gimpo International Airport (), commonly known as Gimpo Airport , formerly rendered in English as Kimpo International Airport, is located in the far western end of Seoul, some west of the Central District of Seoul. Gimpo was the main interna ...

in Seoul was hijacked by a North Korean agent and forced to land in the North; seven of the passengers and all four crew members among them did not return to South Korea. On 5 October 2022, due to the failed

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within the ...

test, a major explosion occurred at the air base.

References

South Korean airbases Korean War air bases Buildings and structures in Gangneung Airports established in 1958 1958 establishments in South Korea {{Korea-War-stub