K-16 Air Base, South Korea is located in the middle of the country, close to Seoul. It may be seen like a complementary camp for the more important and larger Camp Colben. K 16 is often referred to as a Seoul Air Base camp, although it is one of the most insignificant military bases in South Korea. Unlike many other bases in the area, this one is not operated by the United States of America. Instead, it is run by South Korea, but it hosts a few American troops as well. K-16 is now seen as a recycle bin for the country. Due to a recent closure and realignment process that affected some Korean bases, this one became the home of those units that couldn’t find a home somewhere else. It was built in Seongnam and spreads over not more than 85 acres.
The name was given during the Korean War. The American troops found the Asian names to be very difficult to spell and remember, therefore the superiors decided to assign each of them a number, along with the letter K. This base was the 16-th one on the American map, hence the name. It has two long runways. One of them benefits from an ILS (Instrument Landing System) equipment. The equipment is used to guide the pilots when landing. Despite its size and mission, K-16 Air Base is used by a lot of flight companies, including the presidential one. Aside from the South Korean president, other important personalities use it to land in the country. Other than that, the small military installation is also famous for being open to civilians every year during an impressive show and exercise of techniques – the Seoul Air Show. It is held annually and aside from civilians, multiple local personalities attend it to applaud the excellence of the South Korean air force.
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K-16 Air Base is still a military facility, no matter how inactive it is from this point of view. The good news for civilians and reserve troops is that the base is also open for them, whether they look forward to staying in shape or they look after a short vacation. There are not too many facilities built here, but those that exist include a lot of recreational areas, such as a golf field for example. Other than that, the authorities invested over $12M in a new community center. The current facilities are more than enough. Most visitors will enjoy what they will see here. The center includes indoor games, as well as a bowling hall for the fans. Interested in mailing your relatives? The post office is always available for visitors.
