UN Forces retreat from North Korea

UN retreat from North Korea
Part of the Korean War

Map of US Eighth Army retreat, 1–23 December 1950
Date2–24 December 1950
Location
Result

Successful UN withdrawal

  • UN completely withdraws from North Korean territory
Territorial
changes
Chinese and North Korean forces retake all Korean territory north of 38th Parallel.
Belligerents

 United Nations

 South Korea
 North Korea
 China
Commanders and leaders
United Nations Douglas MacArthur
United States Walton Walker
United States Frank W. Milburn
United States John B. Coulter
United States Edward Almond
United States Earle E. Partridge
First Republic of Korea Chung Il-Kwon
First Republic of Korea Shin Sung-Mo
North Korea Choi Yong-kun
North Korea Kim Chaek
North Korea Kim Ung
North Korea Kim Mu Chong
China Peng Dehuai
Units involved

United States Eighth Army

First Republic of Korea Republic of Korea Army

United States Fifth Air Force
United States X Corps

North Korea Korean People's Army

China People's Volunteer Army

Strength
423,000[1] North Korea ~97,000[1]: 49 
China ~300,000[1]: 53–5 

The UN Forces retreat from North Korea was the withdrawal of United Nations (UN) forces from North Korea that took place from 2–25 December 1950.

On 30 September Republic of Korea Army (ROK) forces crossed the 38th Parallel, the de facto border between North and South Korea on the east coast of the Korean peninsula and this was followed by a general UN offensive into North Korea to pursue the shattered North Korean Korean People's Army (KPA). Within one month UN forces were approaching the Yalu River prompting Chinese intervention in the war. Despite the initial attacks by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) in late October-early November, the UN renewed their offensive on 24 November before it was abruptly halted by massive Chinese intervention in the Second Phase Offensive starting on 25 November. Following their defeat by the PVA at the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River and tactical withdrawal at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, UN forces evacuated North Korea in its entirety on 25 December. UN forces then prepared new defensive lines above Seoul for an expected renewal of the PVA offensive. The UN withdrawal from North Korea included many migrations of refugees fleeing from Chinese and North Korean forces that quickly recaptured North Korea. Two notable mass refugee escapes from North Korea include the Hungnam evacuation and the evacuation of Pyongyang.[2]

  1. ^ a b c Mossman, Billy (1988). United States Army in the Korean War: Ebb and Flow November 1950-July 1951. United States Army Center of Military History. p. 23. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "Pyongyang taken as UN retreats, 1950". BBC Archive. Retrieved 22 August 2021.