The Presidential Aircraft Turned Burden, 'Air Force 2' [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] It has been revealed that the maintenance costs of the presidential exclusive aircraft, the 'Air Force 2nd Aircraft,' have been steadily increasing. The average maintenance cost over the past four years has nearly reached 12 billion KRW.

According to the military on the 18th, the Air Force 2nd Aircraft is a Boeing 737-3Z8 model introduced during the administration of former President Chun Doo-hwan in 1985. As it has been 35 years since the model was manufactured, maintenance costs have also increased. In 2016, the cost was only 1.896 billion KRW, but it rose to 1.397 billion KRW in 2017, 5.598 billion KRW in 2018, and 3.935 billion KRW last year.

The military stated that in 2018, engine overhaul maintenance was conducted overseas, and last year, the internal insulators of the cockpit and avionics compartment were replaced, resulting in high maintenance costs. However, since it is a model representing the nation besides the 1st aircraft, there are increasing calls to pursue new acquisitions.

In 2018, the Blue House held a National Security Council (NSC) Standing Committee meeting chaired by the National Security Office Director and decided on the operation plan for three presidential exclusive aircraft, agreeing to newly lease the Air Force 1st and 2nd Aircraft. Accordingly, the Korea National Defense University and the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) are conducting a feasibility study on the Air Force 2nd Aircraft project.

The Air Force 2nd Aircraft is a completely different model from the 'Air Force 1st Aircraft,' known as the presidential exclusive aircraft. The Air Force 1st Aircraft is used for the president's overseas visits and is commonly called 'Code One.' However, it is a Boeing 747-400 (2001 model) passenger plane leased from Korean Air, so strictly speaking, it is more accurate to call it a 'presidential charter plane' rather than a 'presidential exclusive aircraft.'

However, the Air Force 2nd Aircraft is owned by the Air Force, not a civilian airline. Since the government is the owner, the 2nd Aircraft can be considered the true presidential exclusive aircraft rather than the 1st Aircraft. This plane was once called the 1st Aircraft, but as the president's overseas visits began using leased passenger planes owned by civilian airlines, it was relegated to the 2nd Aircraft.

This model is quite old, as indicated by its initial manufacturing year of 1965. Among them, the 300 series is considered an early model, and originally, this model has a short range, so it is often used for domestic flights rather than international ones. Also, the aircraft is small and has a short range. The seating capacity is only about 40 people.

Although it has disadvantages, its smaller size compared to the 1st Aircraft can be advantageous in some cases. In March last year, during President Moon Jae-in's tour of three Southeast Asian countries, the Air Force 2nd Aircraft stationed in Korea was urgently deployed ahead of the final schedule, a visit to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. President Moon arrived in Southeast Asia on the Air Force 1st Aircraft, but Siem Reap Airport, the gateway to Angkor Wat, was too small for the 1st Aircraft to land. Therefore, President Moon, First Lady Kim Jung-sook, high-level aides, and about 30 security personnel flew round-trip to Angkor Wat on the Air Force 2nd Aircraft from Korea.

Although the 2nd Aircraft is considered a 'white elephant' because it cannot be used for long-distance travel, it has played a significant role when South Korean officials visited North Korea.

The 2nd Aircraft was used during the inter-Korean summit in June 2000 and when Lim Dong-won, the presidential special envoy for diplomacy, security, and unification, visited North Korea in January 2003. Also, in September 2018, the special envoy delegation to North Korea flew to Pyongyang on the Air Force 2nd Aircraft. At that time, the delegation leader was Chung Eui-yong, director of the Blue House National Security Office, accompanied by Suh Hoon, director of the National Intelligence Service, Kim Sang-kyun, deputy director of the NIS, Chun Hae-sung, vice minister of unification, and Yoon Gun-young, director of the Blue House National Policy Planning Office. They entered Pyongyang via the West Sea direct route, delivered a letter from President Moon Jae-in, and returned the same day.

The special envoy delegation used the 2nd Aircraft instead of a civilian aircraft, which is known to be related to U.S. sanctions against North Korea. The U.S. sanctions executive order stipulates that any flight passing through North Korea cannot land in the U.S. for 180 days. If the delegation had used a civilian charter plane, that airline's flights would have been banned from landing in the U.S. for six months. In fact, when South Korean athletes used a civilian charter plane to participate in joint ski training at the Masikryong Ski Resort in North Korea, similar concerns were raised, and the South Korean government coordinated with the U.S. government to obtain an exemption.