Operation Pokpoong

Overview

Operation Pokpung was the invasion of South Korea by North Korea that triggered the Korean War. North Korea launched the blitzkrieg by crossing the 38th parallel north and swarming South Korea at 04:00 PYT/KST on Sunday, 25 June 1950. The DPRK did not declare war before the invasion and rushed to encircle and eventually capture Seoul, the capital of South Korea, from the ROK within a week.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Operation Pokpoong was the North Korean invasion that triggered the Korean War. Launched without a declaration of war at 04:00 on 25 June 1950, North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel and drove rapidly into South Korea. Within a week, they had encircled and captured Seoul, the South Korean capital. The operation opened the conflict that would define the peninsula's division and draw in international intervention. North Korea committed 198,380 troops against a South Korean force of 105,752, and the speed and weight of the assault immediately placed the Republic of Korea on the defensive.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (8)