Seoul Air Base (sometimes K-16 Air Base, Seoul Airport or Seongnam Air Base) is located in
Seongnam
Seongnam () is the fourth largest city in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province after Suwon and the 10th largest city in the country. Its population is approximately one million. Seongnam is a satellite city of Seoul. It is largely a residential ci ...
city near
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
in South Korea. Runway 19 and 20 are equipped with an
ILS.
History
Korea under Japanese rule constructed 여의도 비행장(
Yeouido
Yeouido (Hangul: 여의도, en, Yoi Island or Yeoui Island) is a large island (or eyot) on the Han River (Korea), Han River in Seoul, South Korea. It is Seoul's main finance and investment banking district. Its 8.4 square kilometers are home to ...
Air Base).
Korean War
The USAF designated the Yeouido air base at K-16 during the Korean War.
USAF units based here included:
*
35th Fighter-Interceptor Group operating
F-51s from 8 April 1951.
*Detachment F,
3rd Air Rescue Squadron
The 563rd Rescue Group is a United States Air Force unit stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The group also controls the rescue squadrons at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It is assigned to the 355th Wing. The group direc ...
operating
Sikorsky H-5
The Sikorsky H-5 (initially designated R-5 and also known as S-48, S-51 and by company designation VS-327Fitzsimons, Bernard, (general editor). ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare'' (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 20, ...
s from 19 October 1950
*
2157th Air Rescue Squadron operating
Sikorsky H-19
The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw (company model number S-55) was a multi-purpose helicopter used by the United States Army and United States Air Force. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwind in the United Kingdom ...
s
Postwar
Yeouido Air Base closed as 1970, moved garrison to current Sinchon-ri, and named it ''Seoul Air Base''.
The base is home to the ROKAF 15th Special Missions Wing.
The US Army's 2nd Battalion (Assault),
2nd Aviation Regiment,
2nd Infantry Division operating
Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System ( ...
s is based there.
The Seoul Air Show is held annually in this airfield.
The base is used as a VIP airfield by the
President of Republic of Korea and other VIPs and heads of state.
Construction of a Lotte World Tower
On the survey conducted by Sisain Press, 86% of military pilots and air traffic controllers opposed the construction of a
Lotte World Tower
The Lotte World Tower () is a 123-story Megatall skyscraper located in Sincheon-dong, Songpa, Seoul, South Korea. It opened to the public on April 3, 2017, and is currently the tallest building in South Korea and the sixth tallest in the worl ...
because of a safety hazard. They were concerned that it would interfere with the flight path.
President Lee Myeong Bak (2008-2012) got the green light for a 555 meter tall skyscraper after rebuilding the airfield to deviate from the 123-story tower in Jamsil, Seoul. The building now operates as Lotte World Tower, the tallest building in any OECD country.
See also
*
List of United States Army installations in South Korea
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
{{authority control
South Korean airbases
Korean War air bases
Buildings and structures in Seongnam