Pyeongtaek City Calls for Osan Air Base to Be Called "Pyeongtaek-Osan Air Base"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Chan-hyuk] On the 29th, Pyeongtaek City submitted a press release to domestic media outlets requesting that the "Osan Air Base," which spans Sinjang-dong and Seotaan-myeon in Pyeongtaek City, be referred to as the "Pyeongtaek-Osan Air Base."

Although the base is located within Pyeongtaek's administrative jurisdiction, the city has long made efforts to change its name to eliminate confusion caused by it being called "Osan Air Base." In fact, when the relocation of the U.S. military base to Pyeongtaek was discussed in 2003, Pyeongtaek City proposed the name change to the Ministry of National Defense. In 2018, the city submitted a petition to the National Assembly, and in 2019 made a related request during a visit by the Prime Minister, but an official name change was not implemented.

The reason cited is that Osan Air Base, the largest U.S. Air Force base in the Pacific region, is well-known globally, and changing its name at this point could cause confusion in military operations.

Accordingly, Pyeongtaek City requested that Osan Air Base be referred to as Pyeongtaek-Osan Air Base at least within South Korea to reduce naming confusion.

Mayor Jeong Jang-seon stated, "Osan Air Base is a joint base of the Republic of Korea Air Force and the U.S. Forces Korea, with the Air Force Operations Command of the Republic of Korea, the U.S. Seventh Air Force, and the 51st Fighter Wing deployed there, and they play a crucial role in our country's national security. Military units responsible for national security in our region are being referred to by another region's name, causing a high sense of deprivation among our citizens."

Mayor Jeong continued, "I ask that you use the name 'Pyeongtaek-Osan Air Base' at least domestically so that the citizens of Pyeongtaek, who are making many sacrifices and enduring much for national security, can take pride in their community."

Meanwhile, Osan Air Base was established in November 1951 during the height of the Korean War in the Pyeongtaek area. At that time, the base was named "Osan-ri Air Base." Although the area had no administrative relation to Osan at the time, the only village name specified on U.S. military maps was Osan-ri, and because it was easier for Americans to pronounce, "Osan" was used in the base's name instead of "Pyeongtaek."