ORDER OF BATTLE // July 31, 1950
Operation Pokpoong
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 304,132 estimated
North Korea
198,380
Medium-confidence figure
South Korea
105,752
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
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.
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