Mirim Airport, also known as Pyongyang East Airfield or K-24 Air Base, is an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

in Mirim-dong,

Sadong-guyok Sadong-guyŏk, or Sadong District, is one of the 18 guyŏk, and one of the six, that constitute East Pyongyang, North Korea. It is on the eastern bank of the Taedong River, and the mouth of the Nam River. It is north of Ryŏkp'o-guyŏk (Ryok ...

, Pyongyang-si,

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

History

Korean War

Following the capture of Pyongyang on 19 October 1950 the air base was put into service by the UN forces. The USAF designated the base K-24. USAF units stationed at the base included: *

18th Fighter-Bomber Wing 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. It is an even composite number. Mathematics 18 is a semiperfect number and an abundant number. It is a largely composite number, as it has 6 divisors and no smaller number has ...

operating F-51s from 22 November–5 December 1950 * Detachment F, 3rd Air Rescue Squadron * 6002nd Tactical Support Wing UN units stationed at the base included: *

2 Squadron SAAF 2 Squadron is a squadron in the South African Air Force which was formed in 1940. The squadron has a long history, having been involved in every single combat action in which the SAAF has taken part. During the Second World War it made a name fo ...

operating F-51s UN forces abandoned the base on 5 December 1950 as part of the evacuation of Pyongyang during the

UN retreat from North Korea The UN Forces retreat from North Korea was the withdrawal of United Nations Command (Korea), United Nations (UN) forces from North Korea that took place from 2–25 December 1950. On 30 September Republic of Korea Army (ROK) forces crossed the ...

. On 10 December 1950 B-29s bombed the airfield with high-explosive bombs.

Post-war

In May 1952, the 272nd Construction Unit of the North Korean Air Force under the direction of Soviet advisors lengthened the runway. In June 2025 it satellite imagery revealed that the Mirim Parade Training Facility was through upgrade with large grassy lots paved and other areas repaved.

Facilities

The airfield has a single concrete runway 09/27 measuring 4310 x 69 feet (1314 x 21 m). Landings database page
"Landings.Com", accessed 10 Aug 2010, It is sited along the

Taedong River The Taedong River () is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening the Soviet ...

on the eastern edge of the capital city of

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

. It has several taxiways, but the former airbase facilities are no longer used for air traffic. The site has since become a staging ground for large capital parades. North of the former airport is a runway with two helipads and a single structure. A new facility consisting of a single runway was constructed in 2016 located at . Mirim Air Club operates

ultralight aircraft Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...

from the airfield for tours around the city, which began in 2016. Rehearsals for all

military parades in North Korea This is a list of military parades held in Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 1948. All military parades consist of troops from the Korean People's Army and the paramilitary Worker-Peasant Red Guards. ...

usually take place 3–6 weeks prior to the actual parade at the Mirim Parade Training Facility, located on the eastern side of the base.

References

{{authority control 1940s establishments in Korea Buildings and structures in Pyongyang Airports in North Korea Transport in Pyongyang Tourism in Pyongyang Korean War air bases Airports in Korea under Japanese rule Military installations of Japan in Korea

History

Korean War

Post-war

Facilities

See also

References