UN offensive into North Korea

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UN offensive into North Korea
Part of the Korean War
3rd Division Republic of Korea Army troops with sign at the 38th Parallel
Date 30 September – 25 November 1950 (1 month, 3 weeks and 5 days) Location North Korea Result United Nations victory Chinese intervention
Belligerents
United Nations  United States  South Korea  United Kingdom	North Korea  China
Commanders and leaders
Douglas MacArthur Walton Walker Frank W. Milburn John B. Coulter Edward Almond Earle E. Partridge Chung Il-Kwon Shin Sung-Mo	Choi Yong-kun Kim Chaek † Kim Ung Kim Mu Chong Peng Dehuai
Units involved
Eighth Army I Corps 1st Cavalry Division 24th Infantry Division 1st Infantry Division 27th Commonwealth Brigade IX Corps 2nd Infantry Division 25th Infantry Division Republic of Korea Army I Corps 3rd Infantry Division Capital Division II Corps 6th Infantry Division 7th Infantry Division 8th Infantry Division Fifth Air Force X Corps 1st Marine Division 3rd Infantry Division 7th Infantry Division 1st Marine Air Wing	Korean People's Army 1st Division 2nd Division 3rd Division 4th Division 6th Division 7th Division 8th Division 13th Division 15th Division 19th Division 27th Division 41st Division 43rd Division 17th Armored Division 105th Armored Division People's Volunteer Army 40th Army 118th Division 119th Division 120th Division 42nd Army 124th Division 125th Division 126th Division
Strength
423,000[1]	~97,000[1]: 49  ~300,000[1]: 53–5
Casualties and losses
1,732 killed[2]

The UN offensive into North Korea was a large-scale offensive in late 1950 by United Nations (UN) forces against North Korean forces during the Korean War.

On 27 September near Osan, UN forces coming from Inchon linked up with UN forces that had broken out of the Pusan Perimeter and began a general counteroffensive. The North Korean Korean People's Army (KPA) had been shattered, and its remnants were fleeing back towards North Korea. The UN Command then decided to pursue the KPA into North Korea, completing their destruction and unifying the country. 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. Within one month UN forces were approaching the Yalu River, prompting Chinese intervention in the war. Despite the initial Chinese attacks in late October-early November, the UN renewed their offensive on 24 November before it was abruptly halted by massive Chinese intervention in their Second Phase Offensive starting on 25 November.