Samcheok Airfield

The closure was due to a combination of economic and strategic factors. The primary reason was a chronic lack of passengers and persistent financial losses, making the airport economically unviable. This issue was compounded by the opening of the nearby and much larger Yangyang International Airport in April 2002, which was intended to consolidate air services for the entire Yeongdong (eastern Gangwon) region. Furthermore, improvements in ground transportation, particularly the expansion of the Yeongdong Expressway, significantly reduced travel times to Seoul and diminished the demand for short-haul domestic flights.

The former airport site has been completely redeveloped and repurposed. It is now the location of the Samcheok General Sports Park (삼척종합운동장). The complex includes a large multi-purpose stadium, auxiliary sports fields, and other public recreational facilities. The original runway and airport infrastructure have been entirely removed to make way for the park, and there are no physical remnants of the airfield.

Established in the 1960s, with regular commercial flights beginning in 1969, Samcheok Airfield served as a vital domestic airport for the industrial coastal cities of Samcheok and Donghae. For decades, it provided a key transportation link to the capital before the development of Korea's modern highway and high-speed rail systems. Its primary operation was a single domestic route, Samcheok-Seoul (Gimpo Airport), which was operated by Korean Air. As a designated 'sotohang' (소규모 공항 - small-scale airport), it played an important role in regional connectivity and development during a period of national growth.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening Samcheok Airfield. The original site has been permanently converted for public use, making a reopening at the same location impossible. The region's air transportation needs are officially served by Yangyang International Airport, and the introduction of the KTX high-speed rail line to the nearby city of Donghae has provided a faster and more efficient travel alternative to Seoul, rendering a small local airport in Samcheok redundant.