UN offensive into North Korea

UN offensive into North Korea
Part of the Korean War

3rd Division Republic of Korea Army troops with sign at the 38th Parallel
Date30 September – 25 November 1950
(1 month, 3 weeks and 5 days)
Location
Result

United Nations victory

  • Chinese intervention
Belligerents

 United Nations

 North Korea
 China
Commanders and leaders
Douglas MacArthur
Walton Walker
Frank W. Milburn
John B. Coulter
Edward Almond
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 
Casualties and losses
United States 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.

  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. ^ Sobieski, Anthony J. 1127 Days of Death – a Korean War Chronology – Part I, 1950. https://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/Korea/KoreanWarPartI . Retrieved 13 May 2021.