Pohang Gyeongju Airport is an airport in

Pohang Pohang (; ), formerly spelled Po-Hang, is the largest city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, with a List of cities in South Korea, population of 499,363 as of 2022, bordering the Sea of Japan, East Sea to the east, Yeongcheon to the w ...

North Gyeongsang Province North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. In 2011, 255,227 passengers used the airport.

History

Pohang Airfield was originally developed during the Japanese Imperial period.

Military

Pre-Korean war

In early July 1950 Pohang airfield was identified as a potential base for

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

operations. On 7 July, Brigadier-General Timberlake deputy-commander of the

Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organ ...

ordered the development of the base. Company A 802nd Engineer Aviation Battalion landed at Pohang and began improving the airfield on 12 July by added a PSP extension and building hardstands for 27 F-51 Mustangs. The airfield was designated by the

as K-3. Troops of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Ground Force, the Ko ...

(KPA) 12th Division infiltrated the Pohang area in early August and made guerrilla attacks against the airfield. By 12 August KPA troops entered Pohang and so on 13 August the 35th Fighter-Interceptor Group evacuated to Tsuiki Air Field in Japan. ROK and U.S. forces routed the KPA several days later, but the continued presence of guerrilla units mitigated against an early return to the base. USAF units based there from July–August 1950 included: * 35th Fighter-Interceptor Group from 14 July-13 August 1950 subordinate units included: ** 39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron operating F-51s from 8–13 August 1950 ** 40th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron operating F-51s from 16 July-13 August 1950 * 6131st Air Base Squadron (later 6131st Tactical Support Wing) from 14 July 1950 The 802nd Battalion returned to Pohang on 27 September finding the airfield relatively undamaged. The 35th Fighter-Interceptor Group returned to Pohang on 3 October. On 12 October No. 77 Squadron RAAF operating F-51s arrived at Pohang. In July 1953 the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

deployed two AJ (A-2) Savage aircraft to K-3 as a nuclear deterrent in the final days of the Korean War.

Post-Korean War

In October 2008 the

relocated a permanent detachment of MH-53E Sea Dragons assigned to HM-14 from

Iwakuni, Japan 270px, Kintai Bridge 270px, Iwakuni city center is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 127,512 in 65182 households and a population density of 157 persons per km2. The total area of the city ...

. This detachment provides

Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...

with a forward-deployed AMCM and heavy-lift asset. Because Pohang Gyeongju Airport is sharing with military, taking photograph or video of apron, runway and military facility is strictly prohibited.

Civil operation

in the 1970, Pohang Airfield developed capacity for civil operations. Civil operations begain in 1986 with a route from

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

route operated by

Korean Air Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (KAL; ) is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations, and international flights. It is owned by the Hanjin, Hanjin Group. The present-day Korean Air tra ...

. In the 1990s,

Asiana Airlines Asiana Airlines Inc. ( ) is a South Korean airline headquartered in Seoul.Home
." Asiana Airlines. Retrieved 13 September 2 ...

started flights to Pohang Airport, its passenger terminal was expanded, and a new terminal was opened in June 2002. On 15 March 1999, Pohang Airport was the destination of

Korean Air Flight 1533 Korean Air Flight 1533 was a domestic passenger flight from Gimpo International Airport to Pohang Airport. On March 15, 1999, the McDonnell Douglas MD-80, McDonnell Douglas MD-83 operating the flight overshot runway 10 during landing at Pohang A ...

, a

McDonnell Douglas MD-83 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gener ...

which was flying from

to Pohang. The flight overshot the runway during landing at Pohang Airport. All 156 people on board survived, but the aircraft was destroyed. The accident was the 11th hull loss of a McDonnell Douglas MD-80. In January 2014, Pohang Airport was closed due to its runway having to be repaved. This was completed in May 2016. In 2020,

and

Gyeongju Gyeongju (, ), historically known as Seorabeol (, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of ...

cities submitted a proposal to change the name of the airport from Pohang Airport to Pohang Gyeongju Airport to the

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT; ) is a cabinet-level division of the government of South Korea. Its headquarters is in the Sejong Government Office in Sejong City. Previously the agency was headquartered in the 4th buil ...

. In 2022, government approval for the request was granted and the airport received its current name, Pohang Gyeongju Airport.

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

Access

Bus

* No. 200 : Yangdeok ↔ Lotte Department Store ↔ Jukdo Market ↔ POSCO ↔ Pohang Gyeongju Airport ↔ Guryongpo

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Airports in South Korea Military installations of the United States in South Korea Airports established in 1970 1970 establishments in South Korea 20th-century architecture in South Korea Airports in Korea under Japanese rule Military installations of Japan in Korea