KAI Aerospace Museum

Next to Sacheon airfield, the KAI Aerospace Museum was built by Korea Aerospace Industries, the company that makes Korea's own aircraft. Its outdoor park lines up 26 real aircraft, including rarities such as a Korean War-era B-29 bomber and a C-124 heavy transport. It is a favourite with families who want to see planes and tanks up close.

A museum built by an aircraft maker

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) builds the T-50 trainer and the Surion helicopter. The company opened the museum beside its Sacheon plant in August 2002 on a site of about 46,000 m². Since January 2025 it has been run together with the nearby Sacheon Aerospace Science Museum, so one ticket covers both.

What to see

• Outdoor exhibition: 26 aircraft, three tanks, artillery, rockets and a jet engine. On one side are KAI products such as the KF-16 fighter, Surion mock-ups and unmanned helicopters; on the other, ten Korean War veterans: the B-29, C-124, F4U Corsair, B-26 and F9F Cougar from the US forces, and the T-6, F-86F, O-1G, C-47 and H-19 from the Korean air force. Retired ROKAF jets such as the F-4E Phantom, F-5A and T-33 complete the line-up.
• C-124 Globemaster and the presidential aircraft: the huge C-124 transport has been turned into a security exhibition you can walk into, and the C-54 that once served as a presidential aircraft has a refurbished interior display.
• Freedom Hall: about 2,600 items on the Korean War, including photos, uniforms, personal belongings and weapons, plus an overview of the 21 UN countries that sent forces.
• Aerospace Hall: some 600 exhibits on 56 panels and models trace the history of flight and space exploration, including the story of the bicha, a flying machine said to have been used at the siege of Jinju Castle in 1592.
• Aviation Industry Hall: KAI's helicopter and fixed-wing programmes and the growth of Korea's aerospace industry.

Worth knowing

The B-29 was built in the United States in 1945 and went on display in Seoul in 1972 before moving to Sacheon. The C-124 stood on Yeouido in Seoul from 1974. Aircraft that Seoul residents once walked past now sit beside a working airfield.

Many of the airframes have stories of their own. The F4U Corsair left the US Navy, passed through a private collector's hands, was shown at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul and came here in 2001. The B-26 Invader flew from a base in Thailand against the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War. In 2021 a T-103, the trainer used for Air Force Academy cadets' flight practice, joined the collection. The indoor halls occupy a modest single-storey building, so the real stars are the aircraft outside. Groups can book a guide to hear more about individual planes.

Tripto tips

• Hours: March–October 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00), November–February 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00).
• Closed: Mondays (the next weekday if Monday is a public holiday), 1 January, and Seollal and Chuseok days.
• Tickets (museum and science museum combined): adults KRW 4,000, teenagers and children KRW 3,000, under-sevens (3–6) and over-65s KRW 2,000. Parking available.
• Time needed: 90 minutes to two hours for the outdoor park and the halls. There is little shade, so bring a hat and water in summer.
• Getting there: close to Sacheon IC on the Namhae Expressway. Jinju KTX station is about 10 km away, roughly 20 minutes by taxi.
• Air show: during the Sacheon Air Show the museum sometimes runs special arrangements such as free entry, so check its notices.