Sinmak Airfield (K-20)

Sinmak Airfield (K-20)
Sinmak, North Hwanghae Province in North Korea
Sinmak Airfield (K-20) Shown within North Korea
Coordinates	38°26′00″N 126°14′00″E
Site information
Owner	Korean People's Army
Operator	Korean People's Army Air Force
Site history
Built	1949 (1949)
In use	1949 - 1946 (1946)

Sinmak Airfield (K-20) is a former Korean People's Army Air Force airfield which was operational during the Korean War. It was located in Sinmak, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea.

History

It was reported that the airfield was originally built by the USSR during the Soviet Occupation of Northern Korea before being abandoned in 1945.

Head of the Sinmak Labor Party Chong Un-kyong was in charge in the reconstruction of Sinmak Airfield. In order to make way for the airfield, many farmland were taken and that the owners would be given other pieces of land as compensation. This however never materialised and that most of the owners were sent to coal mining.

Construction

On 1 November 1949, construction work began on the Sinmak Airfield with a compulsory amount of one hundred labourers from each province expected to serve 10 days each in order to complete the airfield. These workers had to house and feed themselves during their service. People who had opposed to the Labor were given severe punishments. Constant air-raids by the United Nations affected the construction and operations in which several tunnel-like shelters made of sandbags and camouflage were used to conceal aircraft.

Due to the insufficient amount of workers because of the availability of people, the airfield faced a lot of delays and did not meet the expected completion date.

Korean War

On 17 July, 1950, Sinmak Airfield received raids by B-26 Invader light bombers, and kept them “post-holed” to prevent further operations. In October 1950, the airfield served as a northern advancement point for the Eighth Army during the Korean War. On 17 October, 1951, Sinmak Airfield was opened by the Far East Air Force, and the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital was stationed at the airfield. The unit’s 200 doctors took care of patients taken from Kimpo.

Incidents

On May 7, 1951, a Douglas A-26B-61-DL Invader operated by the United States Air Force was shot down by anti-aircraft fire during a bombing mission over Pyongyang, North Korea. The aircraft crashed near Sinmak after losing its right engine. Unfortunately, captain was killed in a successful attempt to pilot the aircraft out of the combat zone in order for the other two crew members to bail out and survive.