일제하 여의도비행장의 조성과 항공사업의 양상

Abstract

This paper deals with the construction and expansion of Yeouido Airport, the air routes it served, and the aviation industry in colonial Korea. In 1916, the Imperial Japanese Army built an airstrip in Yeouido, which was a separated island located close to the central area of Seoul, then colonial capital called Gyeongseong. With the implementation of the Aviation Law in 1927, the rough surface airfield was expanded to an official airport. From April 1929, Imperial Japanese Airways (IJA), the national airline of the Empire of Japan, operated scheduled flights between Fukuoka and Dalian, and other destinations such as Hsinking and Cheongjin were added during the 1930s. In 1932-1933, paved airstrips were constructed, first-ever in Korea, along with light towers. IJA, which provided artery air routes, needed a sub partner for inaugurating and operating feeder routes in Korea. As its first partner, Joseon Aviation Research Institute, founded by a Japanese pilot, had gone bankrupt, Shin Yong-Wook, a Korean aviation pioneer, who established Joseon Aviation Academy and Shin Aviation Company, took up the position. Shin, a savvy businessman with fund-raising capabilities, colluded with the Government- General and the Imperial Army and opened domestic air routes to Iri and Gwangju in the Honam area, which Japanese airline had not serviced. Since its construction, Yeouido Airport had major issues of being prone to flooding during the summer rainy season and its too short strips to support advanced aviation technology and bigger airplanes. In the late 1930s, a new larger airport was constructed in Gimpo, but since it was used by the US military forces after independence in 1945, it did not wholly replace Yeouido Airport for years. Gimpo finally took over Yeouido’s all commercial flights in 1961. Also, its air base moved to Seongnam, with the development of new towns in Seoul, and the era of Yeouido Airport was over. The primary function of the airport during the colonial rule was a stopover between Japan and mainland China, for it was the main airport in the colony. As these artery air routes were monopolized by the state-run airline company, Shin Yong-Wook, a pioneer of the Korean aviation industry, had to be satisfied as a sub partner to fill a blank. On the other hand, Yeouido was the main airport for the colonial capital and “the center of crossroads of Imperial Japan airways”, unlike other ones in Korea. This position foreshew the future role of independent Korea’s main airport as the hub for Northeast Asia's air traffic. In that sense, the history of Yeouido Airport showed a geopolitical significance of modern Korea and the ups and downs of colonial modernity Korea underwent, beyond its physicality. On the other hand, the element sense of place of Yeouido island could be analyzed through this historical research.