Military Airfield Modernization Expands to Uiju
North Korea appears to have begun a major modernization effort at Uiju Airfield.
The scale of the project is still unclear, but commercial satellite imagery of the airfield shows work to extend the runway is already underway and over 100 huts, consistent with temporary housing on major North Korea construction sites, have been erected at the site.
This is the third military airfield to be renovated and expanded since 2021. Together, these efforts demonstrate a long-term investment in upgrading the country’s air force capabilities.
Recent Activity
The runway at Uiju Airfield was 2,500 meters long. Work to extend it to at least 2,800 meters appears to be underway. Both of North Korea’s previous military airfield modernization projects, at Sunchon and Pukchang Airfields, began with similar work to extend the runways to 2,800 meters to accommodate a broader range of large aircraft.
A camp of construction huts has been set up just north of the runway. These are typically used to house soldiers who will work on the site and suggest this will be a major construction project. However, its location near the center of the airfield is unusual and raises questions about how much of the site will be redeveloped.
Furthermore, ahead of the previous airfield renovation projects at Suchon and Pukchang, most of the aircraft were temporarily relocated to other airfields. However, at Uiju Airfield, which usually houses 31 Ilyushin IL-28 medium-range bombers, the planes have only been moved to a parking area east of the airfield. Whether they will eventually be relocated offsite is yet unclear but suggests for now only part of the airfield will be renovated.
Airfield Renovations in Context
Uiju Airfield lies about 8.5 kilometers east of Sinuiju City, North Korea’s most important land crossing with China, and 2.5 kilometers south of the Yalu River separating the two countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was used as an import quarantine center.
From 2022-2024, aircraft were cleared from the airfield, and thousands of inbound cargo containers were stored at the airfield either in temporary warehouses or out in the open for months at a time. The cargo facilities were dismantled beginning in early 2024 and by October, the aircraft returned and the site was converted back into an airfield.
This work coincides with major redevelopment of the Samjiyon Airfield in the northeast of the country. Samjiyon was a small commercial airfield, but plans call for its redevelopment into a larger commercial airport with a much bigger terminal and adjacent railway station.