Allegations That a ‘Gigantic UFO’ Is Kept in Anyang Draw Intense Interest Overseas

1. Overview

On August 1, 2026, episode 1498 of SBS’s Unanswered Questions, titled “Unknown Invasion: The 2026 South Korea UAP Mystery File,” examined an allegation originating overseas that a colossal UFO which crashed in a mountain on the outskirts of Seoul is being stored beneath the Anyang Air Navigation Aid Station, near the summit of Bibongsan in Manan-gu, Anyang, Gyeonggi Province. The allegation began with a claim by American UFO disclosure activist Steven Greer that “a craft too large to move is hidden in a mountainous area on the outskirts of Seoul.” As the claim spread through overseas UAP communities, people searching Google Maps picked out a circular structure at the top of Bibongsan as a possible site, and Anyang suddenly became a focus of UFO enthusiasts around the world.

The allegation gained traction not because of evidence, but because statements from several people happened to fit the appearance of the facility. A facility representative who appeared on the program seemed baffled, yet offered to show the crew inside. The facility’s purpose and history are also relatively well documented. Even so, the story continues to be repeated overseas.

2. Greer’s Claim and Its Spread Overseas

According to Break News, on February 22, 2026, Greer said on his YouTube channel that “our secret archives contain material related to South Korea.” He said he had received a report that a huge unidentified craft had been shot down in a mountainous area on the outskirts of Seoul decades ago, and that it was still hidden there because it was too large to move. Overseas outlet UAP Digest reported that a video making a similar claim had circulated on Reddit and TikTok. In the video, Greer was described as saying that the craft had been shot down using some kind of electronic warfare system and could not be moved, so authorities had carved away a substantial part of the mountain to enclose it. UAP Digest noted that, to its knowledge, Greer had never produced documents or evidence to support the claim. Meanwhile, Money Today describes Greer’s claim as having been made in 2023, so sources disagree about when it first emerged.

Greer was not the only person to tell a similar story. Australian investigative journalist Ross Coulthart also claimed, based on what he said he had heard from an anonymous source, that among the unidentified craft acquired by the U.S. government was one too large to move. He said a huge building had been erected over it to conceal it, and that the site remained under strict protection. A post on FM Korea also cited a statement by John Lear in Valdamar Valerian’s 1988 book The Matrix: one of the flying saucers recovered during the Korean War was so large that it had been buried at the crash site. The post identified the book as an earlier source in which a story of this kind could be found.

The dates also vary. The FM Korea post summarized the story as saying that an alien spacecraft crashed in a mountain near Seoul in the 1970s and that construction of a facility took three years. UAP Digest reported that rumors placed the incident in the late 1990s. Greer himself said only that it happened “decades ago.” The Anyang Regional Urban Records Research Institute noted that, on April 17, 2026, a movement began in the United States to release UAP materials the government had kept classified, and that Anyang’s Bibongsan unexpectedly emerged as a location in the process.

3. How the Facility at the Top of Bibongsan Was Identified

Overseas internet users searched for sites in various countries that matched the clues mentioned by Greer and Coulthart: the outskirts of Seoul, a mountaintop, and a large structure concealing something. They eventually identified the Anyang Air Navigation Aid Station as one leading candidate. According to UAP Digest, people analyzing satellite images pointed out that the structure was about 270 feet in diameter, stood at the top of a mountain with restricted access, and rested on an unusually elaborate stone foundation compared with other VOR facilities in South Korea. Some also claimed that its circular shape made it look as if it were covering a giant flying saucer.

The facility information compiled by the Anyang Regional Urban Records Research Institute presents a different picture. It opened on January 15, 1966, as South Korea’s first air navigation aid station, and is also known as Anyang VORTAC. It is a navigation aid facility that supports the safe operation of aircraft flying over the Seoul metropolitan area and central South Korea. It was originally managed directly by the government (the Ministry of Construction and Transportation), but is now operated by the Korea Airports Corporation. There are claims that the U.S. Forces Korea managed it when it first opened, but these are said to be inaccurate. It is true that a U.S. Forces Korea radio relay facility (the 83rd Ordnance Battalion) was located nearby until the early 1970s. Because there are few large buildings in the area and the circular structure stands out on a mountaintop with restricted access, residents of Anyang are said to have assumed since the 1960s that it was a helipad.

4. On-Site Investigation by Unanswered Questions

According to Single List, the August 1 broadcast introduced Greer as the originator of the claim and reported that some people considered it plausible because of his connections to senior Defense Department officials. A source who worked as an aviation researcher said that construction had continued for three years to conceal an unidentified object that had crashed in South Korea, and estimated that the location was near Anyang. UFO activist Kim Min-seon specifically identified the Anyang Air Navigation Aid Station. She also said that the facility’s YouTube channel received many comments from people pursuing UFOs.

When the production crew visited the facility, a representative reacted with bewilderment but readily offered to show them around. They could see nothing unusual with the naked eye, and there was no door providing access to an underground area. The representative also said that the facility had been built by the U.S. military. According to the FM Korea post, the program also reported that the facility had to be built on a mountaintop free of radio interference because it needed to transmit a uniform signal in all 360 degrees to civilian aircraft, making its circular design a technical necessity. Single List cited the fact that aircraft actually under development were once mistaken for UFOs during periods when the United States was secretly developing technology as a reason the claim is being actively shared overseas. A YouTube video by KNN News also covered the allegation as a conspiracy theory spreading through overseas UFO communities.

5. Connection to the 1976 Incident in the Skies over Seoul

Money Today reported that the allegation is sometimes linked to an incident on October 14, 1976, in the skies near the Blue House in Seoul. At the time, citizens saw a dozen or so bright flying objects. The military issued warnings and fired warning shots, followed by anti-aircraft fire and the dispatch of fighter jets. During the incident, a stray anti-aircraft shell killed one civilian and injured 31 others. The government announced that a Northwest Airlines Boeing 707 cargo plane had mistakenly entered a no-fly zone, prompting warning shots. However, according to declassified U.S. congressional documents released later, Seoul air traffic control had directed the aircraft to return to its normal route, and the records show that the military fired a second time even after it had done so. As a result, it remains unclear whether the military was firing at the same aircraft.

Online speculation went as far as claiming that the flying saucer attacked in the incident had crashed and was being stored near the Anyang Air Navigation Aid Station. Money Today, however, pointed out that there are indications the air traffic control facility in the area was operating normally even on the day of the incident, and that the claim that it was destroyed in a crash and later used as a secret facility does not fit the facts.

6. Authenticity Debate

The central question is whether the circular structure at the top of Bibongsan is a concealment facility covering a colossal UFO that crashed, or simply an air navigation aid facility.

6.1. The Concealment-Facility Argument

Those who support this theory emphasize the credibility of the people who made the claims. Greer is known to have connections to senior Defense Department officials and an insider network. According to Break News, he said he had received a report, and that the whistleblower who gave testimony had also spoken about other secret facilities. Coulthart separately said he had heard a similar story from an anonymous source, while John Lear’s 1988 statement also described a flying saucer that was too large to move and had been buried at the site. The argument is that stories from separate sources repeatedly describing “a craft that could not be moved and was left where it was” cannot simply be a coincidence.

The facility’s appearance is also cited as evidence. A circular structure measuring 270 feet in diameter stands on a mountaintop with restricted access, resting on an unusually elaborate stone foundation compared with other VOR facilities. The argument is that the construction is excessive for a simple navigation aid. In addition, an aviation researcher testified to a three-year concealment project, and a facility representative said that the U.S. military had built it.

6.2. The Ordinary Navigation-Aid Facility Argument

The opposing side begins by pointing out the lack of evidence. UAP Digest said that, to its knowledge, Greer had never produced documents or other evidence. The on-site investigation also turned up nothing suspicious. When the production crew visited, a representative reacted with bewilderment and offered to show them inside. They saw nothing unusual with the naked eye, and there was no access door to an underground area.

The structure’s appearance can also be explained by its purpose. The FM Korea post reported that the program’s findings were that it had to be built as a circular structure on a mountaintop without interference so that it could transmit radio signals evenly in all 360 degrees. Tyler Rogoway of The War Zone also explained that placing a reinforced facility at a location with an unobstructed view toward North Korea was neither unusual nor imprudent for a facility with both civilian and military uses. The facility’s history is even less supportive of the theory. It opened in 1966, which conflicts with the story that a craft crashed in the 1970s and was concealed by a three-year construction project. The theory linking it to the 1976 incident also conflicts with indications that the air traffic control facility in the area was operating normally at the time.

The concealment theory has no documentary or physical evidence, and no definitive conclusion has been reached so far.

7. Trivia

• A sculpture depicting a crashed UFO stands at the roundabout in front of Anyang Station. It was originally on the lawn in front of Anyang City Hall and was moved to its current location in 2016. The author of the FM Korea post wrote that they did not know why Anyang had such a sculpture and found it completely out of place.
• The same FM Korea post also compiled other UFO sightings related to South Korea. These included South Korean sightings featured in the 1964 report The UFO Evidence by the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), and testimony that an artillery observation officer saw a disc-shaped craft land at the 853rd GP in the Demilitarized Zone on May 23, 1982.