Songtan Area Outside Osan Air Base

Songtan grew up around Osan Air Base and was originally just four tiny farming villages. When Osan Air Base was established in 1952, the closest town of any size was Osan-eub, from which Osan Air Base got its name. Songtan officially became a city on July 1, 1981 and has since grown to a population of 110,000. Songtan has many shops and outdoor stands that offer goods at a much lower price than in the States. In the past you could barter and get a cheaper price on almost anything but now most store owners have a set price. Some will come down a small amount. As of May 10, 1995, Songtan merged with the nearby larger city of Pyeongtaek and became part of a metropolis of 310,000 people covering an area of 87,168 acres. The Songtan-Pyeongtaek area has become a major industrial site and is home to many factories. The merger has seen the development of Pyeongtaek as a major port city, with access to a West Coast highway linking Incheon to Mokpo. A deep water harbor has recently been completed at Pyeongtaek. The city is rapidly becoming a major port and industrial complex on the West Coast of South Korea. References to Songtan are being changed over to Pyeongtaek, but many people (and some official signs) still use Songtan and Songtan City, and a Songtan exit was recently added on the Seoul-Busan Expressway. For the time being, any reference here to Songtan is to the area just outside the main gate of Osan Air Base.

And for those who remember it as the area just outside the gate, here's a comparison.