Songtan

Osan City lies ten miles north of Songtan, but was the closest settlement of appreciable size when the base was built in 1951–52.

Songtan continues to grow southward and eastward from the base and is now a major bedroom community for Seoul and Suwon workers.

Farther away from the base, Songtan appears as any other city in Gyeonggi-do, with high-rise apartments stretching to the south.

Songtan connects to many other cities: Osan, Suwon, and Seoul to the north; and Pyeongtaek, Cheonan, and Daejeon to the south.

There is a sizable foreign population; American military, Filipino and, before 9/11 Russian, reside in the immediate vicinity of the base with an increasing Chinese presence of small merchants.

Immediately outside the base is a district with many bars, dance clubs, small shops, relator's offices and restaurants.

Some Americans are eager to buy custom-made clothing at prices somewhat cheaper than in the U.S. from the skilled artisans who line the mall.

There are also leather workers and painters, hanji, traditional Korean souvenirs, and blanket shops which cater to the Americans.

Before June 2013 Sinjang-dong Shopping Mall was known as a seedy collection of "Juicy" bars that catered exclusively to American military.

It was filled with Filipina and, in smaller numbers, Russian and Korean "Juicy" girls who worked as hostesses or dancers in bars to provide company and, in some cases, sexual services to patrons in exchange for the patron buying the girl juice drinks priced 10,000 won and higher.