Korean National Airlines

{{short description|Former airline of Korea}}

{{Infobox airline

| airline = Korean National Airlines

| logo = Douglas DC-4-1009 Korean National Airlines HL-108.jpg

| logo_size =

| IATA =

| ICAO =

| callsign =

| parent =

| subsidiary =

| company_slogan =

| founded = {{Start date and age|1946}}

| commenced = 1948

| ceased = 1962 (nationalized)

| headquarters = Seoul, South Korea

| key_people = Shin Yong-Wook (founder & CEO)

| bases = Yeouido Airport

| focus_cities =

| frequent_flyer =

| lounge =

| alliance =

| subsidiaries =

| fleet_size = 7

| destinations =

| website =

| image =

| aoc =

| hubs =

| num_employees =

}}

{{Infobox Korean name|title=Korean name

| hangul=대한국민항공

| hanja =大韓國民航空

| rr=Daehan Gungmin Hanggong

| mr=Taehan Kungmin Hanggong

}}

Korean National Airlines (KNA) was the first (commercial cargo and passenger) air carrier in Korea. Established in 1946 and incorporated in 1948 in South Korea, and its first official passenger flight was from Seoul to Pusan on October 30, 1948 (which is now Korea's National Air Day holiday). The carrier was an international carrier{{spaced ndash}}though it was privately owned by its founding chairman, Captain Shin Yong-Wook ({{lang|ko|신용욱}}).{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} It operated under the brand name Koreanair.{{cite web|title=Korean National Airlines - KNA|url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/kna.htm|publisher=Airline Timetable Images|accessdate=9 February 2016}}

KNA operated from 1947 to 1950 with Stinson Voyager aircraft, suspended operations from 1950 to 1952 due to the Korean War, and resumed flying in 1952 with Douglas DC-3 and Douglas DC-4 aircraft.{{cite web|title=World Airline Survey, Flight International, 11 April 1963|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1963/1963%20-%200550.html?search=Korean|accessdate=9 February 2016}}

In late 1961, many Korean industries, including transportation, were nationalized in an effort to spur the country's economic growth. Shin Yong-Wook challenged the government's authority to nationalize his company, but KNA was ultimately taken over in a forced acquisition by the government in 1962, only to be sold to Hanjin by the Third Republic of Korea government in 1969.