About The Base

Where is Kunsan?

Kunsan Air Base is a United States Air Force base located on the west coast of the South Korean peninsula bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is adjacent to the town of Gunsan and about 150 miles (240 km) south of Seoul. The town (군산시 in Korean) can be romanized as both Gunsan and Kunsan. The United States Air Force uses Gunsan to refer to the town, and Kunsan to refer to the base.

The base is named after Gunsan City, a port town seven and a half miles east of the installation. Kunsan AB is a true remote assignment. It is much more austere than Osan AB. It is not configured to provide adequate support to family members. Kunsan AB is home to the 8th Fighter Wing made up of two F-16 fighter squadrons, the 35th Fighter Squadron and the 80th Fighter Squadron.

Kunsan Air Base is the home of the 8th Fighter Wing, "The Wolf Pack," assigned to the Pacific Air Forces' Seventh Air Force and the 38th Fighter Group of the Republic of Korea Air Force. It is one of two major Air Force installations operated by the United States in Korea, the other being Osan Air Base, approximately 100 miles to the northeast.

Units on Kunsan
The following major units are stationed at Kunsan Air Base:
· 8th Fighter Wing
   o 8th Operations Group (Tail Code: WP)
       35th Fighter Squadron (35 FS) (F-16C/D, Blue tail stripe)
       80th Fighter Squadron (80 FS) (F-16C/D, Gold tail stripe)
   o 8th Maintenance Group
   o 8th Mission Support Group
   o 8th Medical Group
· 1st Air Defense Artillery
· Area Defense Council
· American Forces Network
· Army and Air Force Exchange Service
· Defense Commissary Agency
· Office of Special Investigations
· ROKAF's 38th Fighter Group

Cost of Living: Similar to the national U.S. average.

Base Operator: 011-82-63-470-1110, or DSN 315-782-1110.

Population (approx. values):
· Military (U.S. Air Force): 2,600
· Military (U.S. Army): 185
· U.S. DoD Civilian: 30
· Korean Nationals: 450 

Area Population: About 700,000 in a country of 47 million.

Current as of April 14, 2021

 

What is the ROK?

The Republic of Korea, or ROK, is an independent Korean state or collection of states which has existed almost continuously for several millennia.

It is located in Eastern Asia, at the southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. After World War II, a Republic of Korea (ROK) was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north (the DPRK).

During the Korean War (1950-53), U.S. troops and UN forces fought alongside soldiers from the ROK to defend South Korea from DPRK attacks supported by China and the Soviet Union.

An armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising to roughly 17 times the level of North Korea.

South Korea today is a fully functioning modern democracy. Serious tensions with North Korea have punctuated inter-Korean relations in recent years. For more information check out the CIA World Factbook here.

Current as of April 14, 2021

Base Facilities

Here at the Wolf Pack we are constantly striving to insure that you have plenty of things to do, being away from family for a year can be hard and it's our job to take care of you; both mentally and physically. You will be working hard and have several opportunities to play hard as well. Please check out all that we have to offer.

Check out the below links for information on various base facilities and the many services available to you as a member of the Wolf Pack.

Defense Commissary Agency: Check this site out for more information on the Commissary.

AAFES: Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Click on AAFES.com for online shopping, information on base movie times and more. 

Kunsan FSS: To see the latest and greatest News and Events as well as all of our Base Facilities from the Loring Club, West Winds Golf Course, 24/7 Wolf Pack Café, Falcon Community Activities Center, CAC and Outdoor Recreation Tours and all they have to offer to keep you entertained and enjoy South Korea to its fullest potential.

Base Chapel and Sonlight Inn:
Kunsan's Chaplain Corps is responsible for promoting a spiritually healthy and vibrant Wolf Pack. To accomplish this they offer religious observances, pastoral care and religious, spiritual and moral advice. Additionally, the chapel offers a variety of programs. For more information, please contact the chapel at 782-4300.

Rosenblum Memorial Library

Bldg: 1050
Phone: DSN 782-5469 or Comm 063-470-5469
Hours: Daily 0930-2030

Library Annex
Bldg: 
1027 (inside Falcon CAC)
Phone: DSN 782-5469 or Comm 063-470-5469
Hours: 24/7

Rosenblum Memorial Library is committed to the personal and professional development of service men and women and provides a wide range of valuable resources and materials to help you successfully meet your goals. Your library offers a wealth of educational and career development materials including study guides, reference books, and other products and services focused on educational and career enhancement. Library staff can assist you with finding the resources specifically tailored to your needs.

The library seeks to improve your quality of life and maintains an extensive collection of current bestsellers and other favorites and classics for reading, viewing and listening. Your library's collection includes traditional hardbacks, paperbacks, e-books, and audio-books. There is also an impressive collection of recreational materials such as movies, documentaries and TV series available on DVD, a wide range of music CDs, and more than 80 titles of magazines.

The library offers a special collection dedicated to the Air Force Chief of Staff Reading List and the USFK Commander's Reading List, the recommended reading lists for military personnel including military history, war fighting, Korea, and professional military education.

Your library offers computers with high-speed Internet, wireless access, and printing in both facilities. Scanning and color printing capabilities are also available for your use in the main library. Copying and DSN faxing in connection with official, authorized business are free of charge. A nominal fee applies for copies and facsimiles for personal use.

For more information about the library, click here.

Education Services

Bldg: 1051
Phone: DSN 782-5148 or Comm 063-470-5148
Hours: Mon-Thur 0830-1630 & Fri 0830-1530

A year assignment to Kunsan will go by rapidly. Put your time to good use and explore the educational opportunities available to you. Come by the education center located in building 1051 for assistance with your educational needs, both voluntary education and professional military education.

Under a PACOM contract the University of Maryland, have offices on Kunsan and located within the education center. These schools offer you the opportunity to meet some or all of your undergraduate course needs via the traditional classroom, online, and hybrid (mixed in class and online) formats.

Onsite course offerings are geared to those members needing to satisfy outstanding Community College of the Air Force requirements. The Kunsan schools calendar features five 8-week terms and each term there are course offerings that either satisfy a CCAF requirement or serve as a prerequisite for the English or math requirement.

Depending on faculty availability, there are occasional course offerings that can be used as CCAF program electives. If you are beyond CCAF, associate, bachelors, and masters courses from any regional or nationally accredited college or university are available online providing for continued study and easy transition when PCSing to your next duty station. That is the beauty of online education; it goes where you go as long as you have internet connectivity. For assistance see the contact information below:

University of Maryland Global Campus
Mon-Fri: 0800-1700
Registration Week: 0800-1700
DSN: 782-7924
COMM: 063-470-7924
Kunsan-asia@umgc.edu

More info: https://ntc.asia.umgc.edu/AsiaNTC/Web/

Information you can use:

College credit by examination via CLEP and DSST: The first attempt at any one of these subject tests taken for college credit is at no cost to active duty members. Tests are administered by the UMUC computer lab in its function as a national test center. To register for and schedule a test, go to the NTC website at https://www.asia.umgc.edu/ntc/kunsan-ab-korea. Study guides for tests can be found at the base library or visit the AF Virtual Education Center and click the link "study guides" found under the column labeled "Information." A list of available tests and applicability to CCAF is attached.

Update your records: Make sure you keep your education records up to date. Start by making your information is correct in the AF Virtual Education Center. Once you log into AFVEC, head to the column labeled "Self Service Options." First click the link "My Personal Data" and make any required updates. Next scroll down the same column to "My Account" and update your profile. Make sure that Kunsan shows in the box "Education Center." Make any other updates needed and you are done.

Education level updates: For Enlisted members wanting to send transcripts to CCAF, request the college/university send the transcript directly to CCAF at: CCAF/DESS, 100 South Turner Blvd, Maxwell-Gunter AFB, AL 36114-3011. To have completed degrees posted to your military record, submit an official copy of your transcript showing the degree awarded to the education center. For officers wanting to update their personnel record to reflect academic achievement, send transcripts to: AFIT Academic Coding Branch, 2950 Hobson Way, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7765 or e-mail afit.coding@afit.edu with questions.

For more Education Center information, click here.

Current as of April 14, 2021