Being a vacant spot convenient to the capital of Joseon, Yeouido was used as a national pasture for sheep and goats according to a 16th-century geographical record. Yeouido remained for the most part an uninhabited sandbar prior to the construction of Seoul's first airport in April 1924. The airport served both international, domestic, and military flights, and was also the site of a flight school. The airport was prone to flooding that made it unusable during the summer rainy season. Gimpo International Airport took over Yeouido's commercial flights in 1958, and Seoul Air Base took over its military functions in 1971.