The Air Force funds renovations for dormitories, including this one at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, through its annual facility sustainment budget. (Eric Mendiola/Stars and Stripes)
KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — A five-month renovation project at this U.S. fighter base has improved living conditions for about 1,500 airmen, adding new entertainment options and upgraded laundry facilities.
The upgrades come more than two years after an Air Force task force began investigating quality-of-life issues for Kunsan airmen after reports of mold and faulty air conditioning there surfaced on social media.
Renovations to dormitory dayrooms at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, cost $150,000. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
The $460,000 overhaul includes new washers and dryers in 12 dormitory laundry rooms and refreshed dayrooms with TVs, air hockey tables, dart boards and other recreational amenities, Capt. Alvin Nelson, spokesman for the 8th Fighter Wing, said in an email Wednesday.
The updates affected 15 of the 34 dayrooms across 21 dormitories, with additional improvements planned throughout the year, he said.
Renovations to dormitory dayrooms at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, cost $150,000. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
Renovations to dormitory dayrooms at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, cost $150,000. (Eric Mendiola/Stars and Stripes)
The project stemmed from concerns over aging furnishings, some over a decade old, said Staff Sgt. Hwanhie Kim, of the 8th Civil Engineer Squadron, who led the effort.
“We noticed that a lot of the furniture in the dayrooms was pretty old, so we decided to upgrade them; our leadership supported us,” Kim said Feb. 4 at the squadron office.
Kim, his brother, Tech. Sgt. Hwasung Kim, and airmen dorm leaders worked with South Korean civilian employees and contractors to complete the upgrades. The project was also supported by the 8th Comptroller Squadron, 8th Logistics Readiness Squadron, and the U.S. Army’s 411th Contracting Support Brigade.
Renovations to the dayrooms, completed between September and November, cost $150,000, Nelson said.
“I would say it affects other airmen similar to me, like it gives them the space to come and relax, focus on their own mental health and destress and, overall, have a community here,” Senior Airman Exzavier Hall of the civil engineers said Feb. 4 in one of the dayrooms.
The base installed 100 new washing machines and 117 dryers in 12 dormitory laundry rooms during January and February, an improvement that cost $310,000, Nelson said.
The Air Force funds dormitory renovations through its annual facility sustainment budget.
Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, installed 100 new washing machines and 117 dryers in 12 dormitory laundry rooms during January and February, at a cost of $310,000. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
“It definitely has improved our quality of life because it provides us with facilities to take care of our everyday needs as well as our extracurricular activities like being able to play games together and bond with other airmen in the dorm,” Senior Airman Marvyl Ellis said in one of the newly refurbished rooms on Feb. 4.
Kunsan is home to the 8th Fighter Wing, which includes two squadrons of F-16 Fighting Falcons, as well as the South Korean 38th Fighter Group and supporting units.
