On the 29th, Pyeongtaek City issued a press release stating that "the Osan Air Base spans Shinjang-dong and Seo-tan-myeon in Pyeongtaek City, yet it is currently referred to as 'Osan Air Base,' causing confusion," and requested media outlets to refer to it as 'Pyeongtaek Osan Air Base.'
Pyeongtaek City said, "The Osan Air Base, which is the largest U.S. Air Force base in the Pacific region, is already widely recognized worldwide, making it difficult to change the official name immediately. However, it is necessary to change the name at least within the country to reduce confusion."
Pyeongtaek City recommended a name change to the Ministry of National Defense when discussions about the transfer of the U.S. military base to Pyeongtaek began in 2003. Subsequently, they submitted a petition to the National Assembly in 2018 and requested again for a name change during the Prime Minister's visit in 2019, but it was not accepted.
Jung Jang-seon, the mayor of Pyeongtaek, noted, "The Osan Air Base is a joint base of the Republic of Korea Air Force and the U.S. Forces Korea, housing the Republic of Korea Air Force Operations Command and the U.S. 7th Air Force and 51st Fighter Wing," adding, "It is a situation where a military base responsible for national security is referred to by a name unrelated to the area, leading to a high sense of deprivation among our citizens."
The Osan Air Base was established in November 1951, during the Korean War, in the Pyeongtaek area, but it was originally named 'Osan-ri Air Base.' Even though it was administratively unrelated to Osan, it is said that the name 'Osan' was included because 'Osan-ri' was the only village name indicated on U.S. military maps, and it was easy for U.S. troops to pronounce, according to Pyeongtaek City.