Hŭngnam ( Korean : 흥남 ) is a district of Hamhung , the second largest city in North Korea . It is a port city on the eastern coast on the Sea of Japan . It is only 13 kilometres (8 mi) from the slightly inland city of Hamhung. In 2005 it became a ward of Hamhung.
109-743: The port at Hŭngnam was the site of the Hŭngnam evacuation , a major evacuation of both United Nations military and North Korean civilians during the Korean War in late December 1950. Approximately 100,000 troops and material and 100,000 civilians were loaded onto a variety of merchant ships and military transports totaling 193 shiploads over the weeks leading up to Christmas 1950, and were transported to safety in Pusan and other destinations in South Korea. The evacuation included 14,000 refugees who were transported on one ship,
218-560: A chemical weapons program and is likely to possess a stockpile of chemical weapons. The Korean People's Army operates ZM-87 anti-personnel lasers, which are banned under the United Nations Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons . Since the 1980s, North Korea has also been actively developing its own cyber warfare capabilities. As of 2014 , the secretive Bureau 121 – the elite North Korean cyber warfare unit – comprises approximately 1,800 highly trained hackers. In December 2014,
327-412: A control group under Lieutenant colonel Arthur M. Murray from Corps' headquarters to Pusan to receive troops, supplies, and equipment arriving by sea and air and to move them as rapidly as possible to assembly areas. Including the troops and materiel outloaded at Wonsan and Songjin, Almond needed shipping space for 105,000 troops, 18,422 vehicles, and some 350,000 tons of bulk cargo. Although Doyle commanded
436-427: A large assault continued even after the X Corps’ perimeter strength dwindled to a single division. The indirect fire received on the 23rd proved to be the last opposition offered. By morning of the 24th the perimeter was silent and remained so as the last of the 3rd Division's service units loaded and as Soule started his rearguard action to take out his regiments and artillery. A battalion from each regiment stayed on
545-430: A maneuver area reaching 10 miles (16 km) north and south of Hungnam to answer Almond’s requests for gunfire support. To begin an orderly contraction of defenses as X Corps’ strength ashore diminished, the units on the perimeter were to withdraw deliberately as the 1st Marine Division embarked toward the first of three phase lines that Almond drew around Hungnam. In the southwest this first line rested generally along
654-790: A military intervention. The KPA subsequently played a secondary and minor role to the Chinese People's Volunteer Army in the remainder of the conflict. By the time of the Armistice in 1953, the KPA had sustained 290,000 casualties and lost 90,000 men as POWs. In 1953, the Military Armistice Commission (MAC) was able to oversee and enforce the terms of the armistice. The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC), made up of delegations from Czechoslovakia , Poland , Sweden and Switzerland , carried out inspections to ensure implementation of
763-426: A range of more than 100 km are being developed, along with electromagnetic pulse bombs . The Korean People's Army has also made attempts to jam South Korean military satellites. North Korea does not have satellites capable of obtaining satellite imagery useful for military purposes, and appears to use imagery from foreign commercial platforms. Despite the general fuel and ammunition shortages for training, it
872-449: A range of potential artillery bombardment scenarios and concluded that a strike on Seoul alone could result in over 100,000 casualties in the first hour of bombardment. The KPA possess a variety of Chinese and Soviet sourced equipment and weaponry, as well as locally produced versions and improvements of the former. Soldiers are mostly armed with indigenous Kalashnikov-type rifles as the standard issue weapon. Front line troops are issued
981-553: A strategic airlift capacity of 6,000 troops, while the Navy's sea lift capacity amounts to 15,000 troops. The Strategic Rocket Forces operate more than 1,000 ballistic missiles according to South Korean officials in 2010, although the U.S. Department of Defense reported in 2012 that North Korea has fewer than 200 missile launchers. North Korea acquired 12 Foxtrot class and Golf-II class missile submarines as scrap in 1993. Some analysts suggest that these have either been refurbished with
1090-545: A supporter of North Korea's military related sales. Historically, North Korea has assisted a vast number of revolutionary, insurgent and terrorist groups in more than 62 countries. A cumulative total of more than 5,000 foreign personnel have been trained in North Korea, and over 7,000 military advisers, primarily from the Reconnaissance General Bureau , have been dispatched to some forty-seven countries. Some of
1199-483: A time and spread his remaining forces to cover the vacated sector on a shorter front. Since some units were more battle worn than others, especially the 1st Marine Division , he elected the latter method and intended to ship the Marines first. They were to be followed by the 7th Division, then the 3rd Division. Almond planned to phase out ROK I Corps, X Corps' support units, bulk supplies and heavy equipment simultaneously with
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#17328554180171308-543: A transport group of over 125 ships, some would have to make more than one trip to meet Almond's needs. The Far East Air Forces ’ Combat Cargo Command flying out of Yonpo Airfield was to fulfill airlift requirements. Tactical air support during the evacuation would be a Navy and Marine responsibility, the Fifth Air Force fighters previously located in northeastern Korea having flown out to Pusan on 3 December. The 1st Marine Air Wing , based at Yonpo and aboard escort carriers,
1417-677: A vast array of long range artillery in shelters just north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone . It has been a long-standing cause for concern that a preemptive strike or retaliatory strike on Seoul using this arsenal of artillery north of the Demilitarized Zone would lead to a massive loss of life in Seoul. One estimate projected hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of fatalities if North Korea uses chemical or nuclear munitions. A RAND Corporation conducted an extensive study in 2020 on
1526-518: A very large amount of equipment, including 4,100 tanks , 2,100 APCs , 8,500 field artillery pieces, 5,100 multiple rocket launchers , 11,000 air defence guns and some 10,000 MANPADS and anti-tank guided missiles in the Ground force; about 500 vessels in the Navy and 730 combat aircraft in the Air Force, of which 478 are fighters and 180 are bombers. North Korea also has the largest special forces in
1635-598: Is "the revolutionary armed forces of the Workers' Party of Korea and shall uphold the guidance of the party". The charter also states that the WPK Central Military Commission (CMC) is "the party's supreme institution on military guidance" and has "command over the armed forces of the republic". The CMC is headed by the general secretary of the WPK , who is also CMC chairman ex officio . The state constitution also names
1744-616: Is an asymmetric force with a total troop size of 200,000. Since the Korean War , it has continued to play a role of concentrating infiltration of troops into the territory of South Korea and conducting sabotage. After the Korean War, North Korea maintained a powerful, but smaller military force than that of South Korea. In 1967 the KPA forces of about 345,000 were much smaller than the South Korean ground forces of about 585,000. North Korea's relative isolation and economic plight starting from
1853-425: Is estimated that the wartime strategic reserves of food for the army are sufficient to feed the regular troops for 500 days, while fuel and ammunition – amounting to 1.5 million and 1.7 million tonnes respectively – are sufficient to wage a full-scale war for 100 days. The KPA does not operate aircraft carriers , but has other means of power projection . Korean People's Air Force Il-76MD aircraft provide
1962-484: Is headquartered at T'oejo-dong and the West Fleet at Nampho . A number of training, shipbuilding and maintenance units and a naval air wing report directly to Naval Command Headquarters at Pyongyang . The Korean People's Army Air Force (KPAF) is also responsible for North Korea's air and space defense forces through the use of anti-aircraft artillery, surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and satellites. Until April 2022, it
2071-730: Is not only under State Affairs Commission (until 2016 National Defence Commission) and Ministry of Defence control, but is also attached to the Workers' Party of Korea under its Military Leadership Department. It is thus responsible to the Supreme Leader in his capacity as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The militia is organized on a provincial/city/town/village level, and structured on a brigade, battalion, company, and platoon basis. The militia maintains infantry small arms, with some mortars, field guns and anti-aircraft guns and even modernized older equipment such as multiple rocket launchers like
2180-610: Is that Kim Il Sung organized the "Anti-Japanese People's Guerrilla Unit", a unit of the Anti-Japanese People's Army, in Ando County, Manchuria, on April 25, 1932, which later developed into the "Korean People's Revolutionary Army" and played a significant role in the anti-Japanese struggle. This is based on the "Kim Il Sung revolutionary tradition." Both of these are celebrated as army days , with decennial anniversaries treated as major celebrations, except from 1978 to 2014 when only
2289-581: The Armistice Agreement of July 1953. As of 2021 it is the second largest military organisation in the world, with 29.9% of the North Korean population actively serving, in reserve or in a paramilitary capacity. Kim Il Sung 's anti-Japanese guerrilla army, the Korean People's Revolutionary Army [ ko ] , was established on 25 April 1932. This revolutionary army was transformed into
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#17328554180172398-620: The Battle of Aleppo . The Korean People's Army Ground Force (KPAGF) is the main branch of the Korean People's Army responsible for land-based military operations. It is the de facto army of North Korea. The Korean People's Army Naval Force (KPANF) is organized into two fleets (West Fleet and East Fleet, the latter being the larger of the two) which, owing to the limited range and general disrepair of their vessels, are not able to support each other, let alone meet for joint operations. The East Fleet
2507-771: The Imperial Japanese Army . During this period, the KVA fought alongside the Chinese communist Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army from which it drew its arms and ammunition. After the defeat of the Japanese, the KVA accompanied the Chinese Communist Party forces into eastern Jilin , intending to gain recruits from ethnic Koreans in China , particularly from Yanbian , and then enter Korea. Just after World War II ended and during
2616-464: The Korean War , Soviet leader Joseph Stalin equipped the KPA with modern armaments. During the opening phases of the Korean War in 1950, the KPA quickly drove South Korean forces south and captured Seoul , only to lose 70,000 of their 100,000-strong army in the autumn after U.S. amphibious landings at the Battle of Incheon and a subsequent drive to the Yalu River . On 4 November, China openly staged
2725-490: The Ministry of Social Security and the wartime control of the Ministry of Defence , and formerly the Korean People's Security Forces, the Korean People's Social Security Forces (KPSSF) forms the national gendarmerie and civil defence force of the KPA. The KPSSF has its units in various fields like civil defence, traffic management, civil disturbance control, and local security. It has its own special forces units. The service shares
2834-874: The Miracle of Christmas , was the evacuation of United Nations (UN) forces and North Korean civilians from the port of Hungnam , Hamhung , North Korea , between 15 and 24 December 1950 during the Korean War . As part of the fighting withdrawal of UN forces against the People's Volunteer Army (PVA) during the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir (27 November to 13 December), they abandoned some 59,000 square kilometers of North Korean territory to enemy forces and retreated to Hungnam from where they were evacuated to South Korea. On 8 December 1950 US X Corps commander General Edward Almond received UN Commander General Douglas MacArthur ’s order to evacuate X Corps through Hungnam. Following
2943-749: The Politburo and the CMC, the KPA General Political and General Staff Departments and the Ministry of Defence , all having KPA representatives with a minimum general officer rank. During this period the primary path for command and control of the KPA extended through the National Defence Commission which was led by its chairman Kim Jong Il until 2011, to the Ministry of Defence and its General Staff Department. From there on, command and control flowed to
3052-532: The SS Meredith Victory - the largest evacuation from land by a single ship. This was made possible by a declaration of national emergency by President Truman issued on 16 December 1950 with Presidential Proclamation No. 2914, 3 C.F.R. 99 (1953). This operation was the culmination of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir , in which the embattled UN troops fought their way out of a Chinese trap. In late 2005, Hŭngnam
3161-452: The SS Meredith Victory —the largest evacuation from land by a single ship. This was made possible by a declaration of national emergency by President Truman issued on 16 December 1950 with Presidential Proclamation No. 2914 , 3 C.F.R. 99 (1953). Among the civilians evacuated and brought to the South were the future parents of former South Korean President Moon Jae-in . Five babies were born on
3270-514: The Type 88 , while the older Type 58 assault rifle and Type 68A/B have been shifted to rear echelon or home guard units. A rifle of unknown nomenclature was seen during the 2017 Day of the Sun military parade, appearing to consist of a grenade launcher and a standard assault rifle, similar to the U.S. OICW or South Korean S&T Daewoo K11 . North Korea generally designates rifles as "Type XX", similar to
3379-692: The Vietnam War , scoring several kills against U.S. aircraft. Two KPA anti-aircraft artillery regiments were sent to North Vietnam as well. North Korean instructors trained Hezbollah fighters in guerrilla warfare tactics around 2004, prior to the Second Lebanon War . During the Syrian Civil War , Arabic-speaking KPA officers may have assisted the Syrian Arab Army in military operations planning and have supervised artillery bombardments in
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3488-563: The Yowi-ch’on River , just below Yonpo Airfield and elsewhere traced an arc about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the heart of Hungnam. The second line differed from the first only in the southwest in the US 3rd Division sector where it followed the upper bank of the Songch’on River close by Hungnam. The 3rd Division's withdrawal to this second line, which would mean the abandonment of Yonpo Airfield,
3597-600: The president of the State Affairs as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and stipulates that the mission of the armed forces is to "defend unto death the Party Central Committee headed by the great Comrade Kim Jong Un". Almost all officers of the KPA began their military careers as privates; only very few people are admitted to a military academy without prior service. The result is supposed to be an egalitarian military system where officers are familiar with
3706-520: The 1932 anniversary was celebrated. In 1939, the Korean Volunteer Army (KVA), was formed in Yan'an , China. The two individuals responsible for the army were Kim Tu-bong and Mu Chong . At the same time, a school was established near Yan'an for training military and political leaders for a future independent Korea. By 1945, the KVA had grown to approximately 1,000 men, mostly Korean deserters from
3815-511: The 1980s has now tipped the balance of military power into the hands of the better-equipped South Korean military. In response to this predicament, North Korea relies on asymmetric warfare techniques and unconventional weaponry to achieve parity against high-tech enemy forces. North Korea is reported to have developed a wide range of technologies towards this end, such as stealth paint to conceal ground targets, midget submarines and human torpedoes , blinding laser weapons , and probably has
3924-487: The 19th and on the 19th and 20th spread out to relieve the 17th and 32nd Regiments. Almond closed his command post in Hungnam on the 20th and reopened it aboard USS Mount McKinley in the harbor, leaving Soule in command of ground troops ashore. PVA/KPA probing attacks, which had slackened noticeably after the 3rd and 7th Divisions withdrew to the first Corps' phase line, picked up again on the 18th and became still more intense on
4033-503: The 9th to Hungnam, where its Marine shore party passengers were to take part in the forthcoming sealift. The remaining ships steamed for Pusan on the 9th and 10th. The Task Force 90 ships dispatched to Songjin on 5 December to pick up the tail-end troops of ROK I Corps meanwhile had reached their destination and by noon on 9 December had taken aboard the ROK 3rd Infantry Division (less the 26th Regiment, which withdrew to Hungnam as rearguard for
4142-518: The BM-13 and older Ural D-62 motorcycles, although some units are unarmed indicating status as logistics and medical units. Its strength is estimated at 5 million personnel. The KPA's annual budget is approximately US$ 6 billion. In 2009, the U.S. Institute for Science and International Security reported that North Korea may possess fissile material for around two to nine nuclear warheads . The North Korean Songun ("Military First") policy elevates
4251-477: The Bureau was accused of hacking Sony Pictures and making threats, leading to the cancellation of The Interview , a political satire comedy film based on the assassination of Kim Jong Un. The Korean People's Army has also made advances in electronic warfare by developing GPS jammers. Current models include vehicle-mounted jammers with a range of 50 kilometres (31 mi)–100 kilometres (62 mi). Jammers with
4360-523: The Capital Division's headquarters and artillery for employment in the perimeter and to take aboard an advance party of the ROK I Corps headquarters before proceeding to its new destination. On the 11th, as the ROK from Songjin as well as the Marine and Army troops from the Chosin Reservoir came into Hungnam, the perimeter around the port consisted of a series of battalion and regimental strongpoints astride
4469-620: The Central Constabulary Academy (became KPA Military Academy in Dec. 1948) soon followed for the education of political and military officers for the new armed forces. After the military was organised and facilities to educate its new recruits were constructed, the Constabulary Discipline Corps was reorganised into the Korean People's Army General Headquarters. The previously semi-official units became military regulars with
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4578-587: The Chinese naming system. On 15 November 2018, North Korea successfully tested a "newly developed ultramodern tactical weapon". Leader Kim Jong Un observed the test at the Academy of Defense Science and called it a "decisive turn" in bolstering the combat power of the North Korean army. There is a Korean People's Army Military Hardware Museum located in Pyongyang that displays a range of the equipment used. The U.S. Department of Defense believes North Korea probably has
4687-430: The Chosin Reservoir on 11 December, assembled between the port and Yonpo Airfield. The division loaded over the following three days and sailed for Pusan at mid-morning on the 15th. Almond the day before had designated Masan , 30 miles (48 km) west of Pusan, as the division's assembly area. Following the voyage to Pusan and a motor march to Masan, the Marines passed to Eighth Army control on 18 December. Some bulk cargo
4796-500: The Corps' perimeter probably forced the PVA/KPA to repeat their reconnaissance. Artillery fire, naval gunfire, and ample close air support may well have prevented the PVA/KPA from concentrating sufficient strength for strong attacks. Whatever the reasons, PVA/KPA forces had not yet launched a large-scale assault. Although an additional unit, a regiment of the KPA 1st Division , was identified near
4905-988: The February 8 Vinylon Factory Complex which allegedly is producing UDMH fuel used for liquid fueled rocket and missiles. It is also home to Hungnam Chemical Engineering College . Hungnam Station is on the Pyongra Line railway . Hŭngnam is divided into 43 tong (neighbourhoods), 1 rodongjagu (workers' district) and 5 ri (villages): [REDACTED] Media related to Hŭngnam at Wikimedia Commons 39°50′N 127°36′E / 39.833°N 127.600°E / 39.833; 127.600 Hungnam evacuation [REDACTED] United Nations [REDACTED] X Corps [REDACTED] I Corps [REDACTED] Korean People's Army [REDACTED] People's Volunteer Army The Hungnam evacuation or Heungnam redeployment ( Korean : 흥남 철수 작전 ; Hanja : 興南撤收作戰 ), also known as
5014-699: The GPB was decreased; with the committee now ranking equal to provincial party committees. The GPB was also no longer equal to the Central Committee, while the CMC was again given effective command of the armed forces. The Military Affairs Department of the WPK Central Committee was abolished, with its functions being transferred to the Department of Military-Political Leadership. North Korea has conscription for males for 10 years. Females are conscripted up until
5123-472: The Hamhung-Hungnam road, which carried the larger number of refugees. They were only partially successful. Those civilians already in Hungnam and those who managed to reach the city were screened, then moved to the southeastern suburb of Sohojin , where Corps' civil affairs personnel distributed food and organized them for evacuation as shipping space became available. On the heels of the Marine division,
5232-493: The KPA anniversary celebrations every April and since recently in July to honour the end of the Korean War. Under Kim Jong Il's leadership, political officers dispatched from the party monitored every move of a general's daily life, according to analysts similar to the work of Soviet political commissars during the early and middle years of the military establishment. Under Kim Jong Il, the KPA effectively exercised full control of both
5341-697: The KPA leadership was reformed again under Kim Jong Un . The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) amended the constitution in June 2016, abolishing the National Defence Commission (NDC) except in times of war, and replacing it with the State Affairs Commission (SAC), which was named the "supreme policy-oriented leadership body of State power". Kim became the chairman of the State Affairs Commission on 29 June 2016. These amendments marked
5450-580: The KPA to the primary position in the government and society. According to North Korea's state news agency , military expenditures for 2010 made up 15.8 percent of the state budget. Most analyses of North Korea's defence sector, however, estimate that defence spending constitutes between one-quarter and one-third of all government spending. As of 2003 , according to the International Institute of Strategic Studies , North Korea's defence budget consumed some 25 percent of central government spending. In
5559-486: The KPA's founding commander in chief, became Grand Marshal as a result and one year later he became the chairman of the National Defence Commission, by now under Supreme People's Assembly control under the then 1992 constitution as amended. Within the KPA, between December 1991 and December 1995, nearly 800 high officers (out of approximately 1,200) received promotions and preferential assignments. Three days after Kim Jong Il became Marshal, eight generals were appointed to
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#17328554180175668-514: The People's Army in anticipation of the regime's establishment on February 8, 1948. Until 1977, they commemorated February 8 as the "Founding Day" of the army. However, since 1978, they changed it to April 25, designating it as the "Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Army" and holding large-scale commemorative events. The reason for changing the date of the founding of the People's Army in North Korea
5777-472: The People's Assembly approved the plan to separate the roles of the military and those of the police, seven months before the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was proclaimed on 9 September 1948. In addition, the Ministry of Defense was established, which controlled a central guard battalion, two divisions, and an independent mixed and combined arms brigade. Before the outbreak of
5886-561: The ROK 7th Infantry Division ; the division headquarters, division artillery, and 18th Regiment of the ROK Capital Division ; and some 4300 refugees. This sealift originally had been designed to assist X Corps’ concentration at Hungnam, but the intervening order to evacuate Hungnam changed the destination for most of the South Koreans to Pusan. On 10 and 11 December the convoy from Songjin anchored at Hungnam only long enough to unload
5995-415: The ROK to go to Pusan, MacArthur, apparently as a result of his 11 December visit to Korea, had directed that the Corps' units then on the Hungnam perimeter be sea lifted to Samch’ok . These units and those being carried to Pusan from Songjin were to pass to Eighth Army control upon disembarkation. This transfer would permit Eighth Army commander General Walton Walker to deploy ROK I Corps immediately, and
6104-624: The Soviet Union's occupation of the part of Korea north of the 38th Parallel, the Soviet 25th Army headquarters in Pyongyang issued a statement ordering all armed resistance groups in the northern part of the peninsula to disband on 12 October 1945. Two thousand Koreans with previous experience in the Soviet Red Army were sent to various locations around the country to organise constabulary forces with permission from Soviet military headquarters, and
6213-405: The Special Operation Force . It is commanded by the WPK Central Military Commission , which is chaired by the WPK general secretary , and the president of the State Affairs ; both posts are currently headed by Kim Jong Un . The KPA considers its primary adversaries to be the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and United States Forces Korea , across the Korean Demilitarized Zone , as it has since
6322-446: The US 7th Division began to load on 14 December, embarking first the worn troops of the 31st Infantry Regiment , 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment and the 57th Field Artillery Battalion , who had been with the Marines in the Chosin Reservoir area. Most of the 7th Division's service units went aboard ship on the 15th and 16th. The US 17th Infantry Regiment and remainder of the 32nd Infantry Regiment meanwhile relieved ROK I Corps on
6431-402: The US Army divisions. This was to be done carefully enough to keep a proper balance between combat and support troops and to ensure adequate logistical support. To maintain this balance yet guarantee that the evacuation proceeded as rapidly as possible, he established three points of control. From X Corps headquarters, his G-3 and G-4 together guided the dispatch of units to the beach. To supervise
6540-416: The actual loading of troops and materiel at water's edge, he organized a control group under Colonel Edward H. Forney , a Marine officer serving as Almond's deputy chief of staff. Under Forney's direction, the 2nd Engineer Special Brigade was to operate dock facilities, a reinforced Marine shore party company was to operate the LST and small craft beaches and control the lighterage for ships to be loaded in
6649-705: The age of 23. Article 86 of the North Korean Constitution states: "National defence is the supreme duty and honour of citizens. Citizens shall defend the country and serve in the armed forces as required by law." KPA soldiers serve three years of military service in the KPA, which also runs its own factories, farms and trading arms. The Red Youth Guards are the youth cadet corps of the KPA for secondary level and university level students. Every Saturday, they hold mandatory 4-hour military training drills, and have training activities on and off campus to prepare them for military service when they turn 18 or after graduation, as well as for contingency measures in peacetime. Under
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#17328554180176758-524: The attacks on the 3rd Division and a KPA brigade apparently was moving toward Hungnam over the coastal road from the northeast. A greater immediate problem than the approach of relatively few enemy forces was a mass movement of civilians toward the corps perimeter. Although Almond had planned to evacuate government officials, their families and as many others as shipping space allowed, he had not anticipated that thousands of civilians would try to reach Hungnam. Besides hampering evacuation operations by overcrowding
6867-462: The beaches to protect the embarkation of the remainder of the covering battalions and the bulk of the 10th Engineer Combat Battalion. In the final steps, Doyle's warships laid down a wide barrage about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) inland as the last platoons of the covering force loaded and as the 10th Engineer Combat Battalion and Navy demolition teams blew up the port before leaving the beaches aboard LVTs and LCMs shortly after 14:30. By Christmas Eve
6976-416: The beginning of December, PVA/KPA forces as of the 11th had not yet made any significant attempt to establish contact with the perimeter units. But Almond expected his beachhead defenses would be tested by PVA/KPA units approaching Hungnam along the coast from the northeast, from the Wonsan area to the south, and especially from the direction of the Chosin Reservoir. The likelihood that PVA/KPA forces pushing to
7085-415: The closing date Tunner's planes had lifted out 3,600 troops, 196 vehicles, 1,300 tons of cargo, and several hundred refugees. The 18 December withdrawal of Soule's left flank units to the lower bank of the Songch’on River was a preliminary move in the 3rd Division's relief of the two 7th Division regiments still on the perimeter. Soule's forces stepped behind the Songch’on to the second Corps' phase line on
7194-459: The coast to reoccupy Wonsan would block the routes south of Hungnam had prompted Almond to discard any thought of an overland withdrawal to southern Korea (nor had MacArthur ordered such a move). Almond also considered the roads inadequate to permit the timely movement of large forces. His warning order, issued 9 December, alerted his forces for a "withdrawal by water and air without delay from Hungnam area to Pusan- Pohang-dong area." The larger exodus
7303-498: The date on which MacArthur visited Korea and flew into Yonpo Airfield for a conference with him. After briefing MacArthur on Corps' dispositions and the plan of evacuation, Almond predicted that the evacuation would be orderly, that no supplies or equipment would be destroyed or abandoned and that PVA/KPA forces would not interfere seriously. The redeployment of X Corps to southern Korea, he estimated, would be complete by 27 December. The 1st Marine Division, as it came into Hungnam from
7412-404: The decrease of the military's influence, with the newly established SAC including more civilian and less military members than the NDC. The constitution was further amended in 2019. The constitution now stipulated that the mission of North Korea's armed forces was to "defend unto death the Party Central Committee headed by the great Comrade Kim Jong Un". The chairman of the State Affairs Commission
7521-402: The distribution of Soviet uniforms, badges, and weapons that followed the inception of the headquarters. The State Security Department , a forerunner to the Ministry of People's Defense, was created as part of the Interim People's Committee on 4 February 1948. The formal creation of the Korean People's Army was announced four days later on 8 February, the day after the Fourth Plenary Session of
7630-545: The earlier decision to concentrate X Corps forces at Hungnam, the evacuation of Wonsan had begun on 3 December. In a week’s time, without interference from PVA or Korean People's Army (KPA) forces, the Regimental Combat Team 31 (RCT 31) , US 3rd Infantry Division and a US 1st Marine Division shore party group totaling some 3,800 troops loaded themselves, 1,100 vehicles, 10,000 tons of other cargo, and 7,000 refugees aboard transport ships and LSTs provided by Admiral James H. Doyle ’s Task Force 90 . One LST sailed north on
7739-479: The final day of the evacuation. While the Marines departed by sea, the bulk of the 1st Korean Marine Corps Regiment , which had been attached to the 3rd Division, moved to Yonpo for evacuation by air. 3rd Division commander General Robert H. Soule had planned to compensate for the loss of the South Korean marines by pulling his division to the shorter first phase line on 16 December, but several sharp attacks against his positions between Chigyong and Oro-ri during
7848-553: The following day. Three PVA divisions, the 79th, 80th and 81st, all from the 27th Army, were believed to be in the nearby ground west of Hungnam, although only the 79th was currently in contact. North and northeast of Hungnam, a KPA brigade and the reconstituted KPA 3rd Division had been encountered, as had another KPA force, presumably a regiment. None of the PVA/KPA strikes on the perimeter did more than penetrate some outposts, and counterattacks rapidly eliminated these gains. So far, all action appeared to be only an attempt to reconnoiter
7957-533: The force was created on 21 October 1945. The headquarters felt a need for a separate unit for security around railways, and the formation of the unit was announced on 11 January 1946. That unit was activated on 15 August of the same year to supervise existing security forces and creation of the national armed forces. Military institutes such as the Pyongyang Academy (became No. 2 KPA Officers School in Jan. 1949) and
8066-510: The harbor anchorages, and some five thousand Korean civilians were to work as stevedores. On the Navy's end of the out-loading procedure, Doyle, through a control unit aboard his flagship USS Mount McKinley , was to coordinate all shipments, assign anchorages, and issue docking and sailing instructions. Direct liaison was established between Almond's control group ashore and Doyle's control group at sea to match outgoing troops, supplies, and equipment with available ships. Almond also dispatched
8175-500: The help of Russian experts or their launch tubes have been reverse-engineered and externally fitted to regular submarines or cargo ships. However the U.S. Department of Defense does not list them as active. A photograph of Kim Jong Un receiving a briefing from his top generals on 29 March 2013 showed a list that purported to show that the military had a minimum of 40 submarines, 13 landing ships, 6 minesweepers, 27 support vessels and 1,852 aircraft. The Korean People's Army operates
8284-472: The landing at Samch’ok would put much of it close at hand for deployment at the eastern end of his proposed Line B . The landing, actually made at a small port just north of Samch’ok, was completed on 20 December. ROK I Corps’ departure on the 17th coincided with the evacuation of most X Corps' headquarters sections and troops. Their final destination was Kyongju , 50 miles (80 km) north of Pusan, where they were to establish an advance Corps' command post. On
8393-602: The life of a military private and "military nobility" is all but nonexistent. Since 1990, numerous and dramatic transformations within North Korea have led to the current command and control structure. The details of the majority of these changes are simply unknown to the world. What little is known indicates that many changes were the natural result of the deaths of the aging leadership including Kim Il Sung (July 1994), Minister of People's Armed Forces O Jin-u (February 1995) and Minister of Defence Choe Kwang (February 1997). The vast majority of changes were undertaken to secure
8502-437: The likely avenues of PVA/KPA approach some 12–15 miles (19–24 km) outside the city. The US 3rd Infantry Division still held the large sector assigned to it when Almond first shaped the perimeter, from positions below Yonpo Airfield southwest of Hungnam to defenses astride the Chosin Reservoir road at Oro-ri ( 40°02′17″N 127°25′26″E / 40.038°N 127.424°E / 40.038; 127.424 ) northwest of
8611-446: The loudness of the final blowup of the port of Hungnam." In retrospect, the evacuation of X Corps from Hungnam had proved successful as a logistical exercise. While the move could be considered a withdrawal from a hostile shore, neither PVA nor KPA forces had made any serious attempts to disrupt the operation or even to test the shrinking perimeter that protected the loading. Logistical rather than tactical matters therefore had governed
8720-712: The mid-1970s and early 1980s, according to figures released by the Polish Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, between 32 and 38 percent of central government expenditures went towards defence. North Korea sells missiles and military equipment to many countries worldwide. In April 2009, the United Nations named the Korea Mining and Development Trading Corporation (KOMID) as North Korea's primary arms dealer and main exporter of equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons. It also named Korea Ryonbong as
8829-477: The morning of the 15th prompted him to make his withdrawal that afternoon. By the 16th the attacks against the 3rd Division on the western and northwestern arcs of the perimeter, enemy patrols engaged ROK I Corps in the northeast, and other ground and air reports indicated that PVA/KPA forces were closing in around the X Corps perimeter but not in great strength. Parts of the PVA 81st Division, 27th Army, appeared to have made
8938-484: The northeastern anchor of the Corps' perimeter on 20 December, PVA/KPA attacks diminished on the 20th and 21st as the last troops of the 7th Division embarked and sailed for Pusan. 7th Division completed their redeployment on the 27th and moved into an assembly around Yongch’on , west of the new X Corps headquarters at Kyongju . New but still small attacks harassed the 3rd Division on 22 December as Soule's 7th , 65th and 15th Infantry Regiments from west to east stood at
9047-405: The official date of establishment of the Korean People's Army was 8 February 1948. In 1978, the date was changed to 25 April 1932, the date the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, Kim Il Sung 's anti-Japanese guerrilla force, was formed. However, this change did not last, and by 2019, the KPA's date of establishment had been reverted to 8 February 1948. The charter of the WPK states that the KPA
9156-836: The organisations which received North Korean aid include the Polisario Front , Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna , the Communist Party of Thailand , the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps . The Zimbabwean Fifth Brigade received its initial training from KPA instructors. North Korean troops allegedly saw combat during the Libyan–Egyptian War and the Angolan Civil War . Up to 200 KPAF pilots took part in
9265-513: The perimeter and withdrew to the first phase line. Hence, the Corps' perimeter on the 16th was divided into two nearly equal parts by the Songch’on River, the 7th Division in position above it, the 3rd Division holding the sector below. Patrols and outposts deepened the defense as far out as the lower edge of Hamhung. After being relieved by the 7th Division, ROK I Corps loaded and sailed at noon on 17 December. Although original plans called for
9374-490: The perimeter while the remaining infantry and the artillery outloaded and while the Division's 10th Engineer Combat Battalion and Navy underwater demolition teams prepared port facilities for destruction. At the same time, the last Corps' supplies, the port operating units, and as many of the remaining refugees as possible were put aboard ship. After Almond made a final inspection ashore, seven platoons established strongpoints near
9483-439: The perimeter. Several explanations for the PVA/KPA's failure to make a larger effort were plausible. The bulk of the PVA in the Chosin Reservoir area apparently were taking time to recuperate from losses suffered in the cold weather and recent battles. All PVA/KPA forces undoubtedly were aware that X Corps was evacuating Hungnam and that they would be able to enter the city soon without having to fight their way in. The contraction of
9592-625: The port area, the large refugee movement posed a danger of PVA/KPA infiltration. According to Corps' intelligence sources, the North Koreans were circulating a rumor in Hamhung that X Corps would provide transportation for all civilians who wished to leave North Korea. The intention was to create a mass move to cover the infiltration of KPA agents and saboteurs. To prevent overcrowding and infiltration, military police, intelligence agents, and perimeter troops attempted to block civilian entry, particularly over
9701-477: The port. Battalions of the US 7th Infantry Division stood in breadth and depth along the Pujon Reservoir ( 40°36′40″N 127°32′28″E / 40.611°N 127.541°E / 40.611; 127.541 ) road north of Hungnam, and three regiments of ROK I Corps guarded approaches near and at the coast northeast of the port. Although Almond had begun to pull these units into defenses around Hungnam at
9810-618: The power and position of Kim Jong Il . Formerly, what is now the State Affairs Commission - formerly the National Defence Commission - was part of the Central People's Committee [ ja ] (CPC) while the Ministry of Defence , from 1982 onward, was under direct presidential control. At the Eighteenth session of the sixth Central People's Committee, held on 23 May 1990, the SAC became established as its own independent commission, rising to
9919-439: The rank of Vice-Marshal. In April 1997, on the 85th anniversary of Kim Il Sung's birthday , Kim Jong Il promoted 127 general and admiral grade officers. The following April he ordered the promotions of another 22 generals and flag officers. Along with these changes, many KPA officers were appointed to influential positions within the WPK. These promotions continue today, simultaneous with the celebration of Kim Il Sung's birthday and
10028-401: The ranks of the KPA (with the exception of Marshals) but wears different uniforms. The Reserve Military Training Units or RMTUs constitute the primary reserve force component of the KPA. The Worker-Peasant Red Guards (WPRG; 로농적위군 ), also translated as Workers and Peasants' Red Militia (WPRM), is a paramilitary force in North Korea. It is the largest civil defense force in North Korea. It
10137-485: The rate of the evacuation. Indeed, X Corps’ redeployment south had been a matter of how rapidly Doyle's ships could be loaded. A remarkable number of refugees, over 86,000, had been lifted out of Hungnam. Including those evacuated from Wonsan and Songjin, the total number of civilians taken out of northeastern Korea reached 98,100. About the same number had been left behind for lack of shipping space. The evacuation included 14,000 refugees who were transported on one ship,
10246-428: The same day, operations at Yonpo Airfield closed as the left flank units of the 3rd Division prepared to withdraw to the lower bank of the Songch’on River behind the field the next day. The Marine squadrons that had used the field already had withdrawn to Pusan and Itami Air Base , Japan. Last to leave was a Fifth Air Force base unit that had serviced the Marine fighters and General William H. Tunner ’s cargo aircraft. By
10355-546: The same status as the CPC (now the Cabinet of North Korea ) and not subordinated to it, as was the case before. Concurrent with this, Kim Jong Il was appointed first vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission. The following year, on 24 December 1991, Kim Jong Il was appointed Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army . Four months later, on 20 April 1992, Kim Jong Il was awarded the rank of Marshal and his father, in virtue of being
10464-399: The second Corps' phase line to cover the loading of the last Corps' artillery units and the first of the division's service units. On the 23rd, when Soule pulled his regiments to the last Corps' phase line in preparation for the final withdrawal from Hungnam, only a small amount of mortar and artillery fire struck the perimeter troops. Whatever conditions so far had kept the PVA/KPA from opening
10573-590: The ships and were nicknamed Kimchi 1–5 by US sailors. Korean People%27s Army The Korean People's Army ( KPA ; Korean : 조선인민군 ; MR : Chosŏn inmin'gun ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Ground Force , the Naval Force , the Air Force , Strategic Force , and
10682-426: The ships carrying the last X Corps troops and supplies were well out of Hungnam harbor en route to Pusan and Ulsan , a small port 30 miles (48 km) north of Pusan. They left behind no serviceable equipment or usable supplies. About 200 tons of ammunition, a similar amount of frozen dynamite, 500 thousand-pound aerial bombs and about 200 drums of oil and gasoline had not been taken out, but all of this [had] "added to
10791-458: The terms of the Armistice that prevented reinforcements or new weapons being brought into Korea. Soviet thinking on the strategic scale was replaced since December 1962 with a people's war concept. The Soviet idea of direct warfare was replaced with a Maoist war of attrition strategy. Along with the mechanization of some infantry units, more emphasis was put on light weapons, high-angle indirect fire, night fighting, and sea denial. Until 1977,
10900-420: The various bureaus and operational units. A secondary path, to ensure political control of the military establishment, extended through the CMC. The party's power was diluted; the CMC was stripped of its authority to command the KPA in 2010. The KPA party committee outranked provincial party committees, while KPA's General Political Bureau (GPB) had equal status to the WPK Central Committee. The organization of
11009-412: The world, as well as the largest submarine fleet. The equipment is a mixture of World War II vintage vehicles and small arms, widely proliferated Cold War technology, and more modern Soviet or locally produced weapons. In March 2024, Kim Jong Un was pictured driving a newly developed tank alongside soldiers taking part in drills which the leader said was preparation for war. North Korea possesses
11118-538: Was also removed from the charter, being replaced by "people-first politics". During the speech to the Congress, Kim Jong Un did not mention "army of the leader" to refer to the KPA, as it has been referred as before, instead naming it as an "army of the party", thus moving the party-army relations in the country closer to the ones typically found in other socialist states. The influence of the KPA Party Committee and
11227-523: Was demoted from Hŭngnam-si (Hŭngnam City) to Hŭngnam-kuyok (Hŭngnam District) within Hamhung -si. The population has been estimated at (variously) 200,000 or 450,000; the official North Korean population figure is 700,000 but this is disputed. The city is home to the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex, which has allegedly also been used to manufacture chemical weapons. Other industrial facilities include
11336-601: Was known as the KPA Air and Anti-Air Force. While much of the equipment is outdated, the high saturation of multilayered, overlapping, mutually supporting air defence sites provides a formidable challenge to enemy air attacks. The Strategic Force is a major division of the KPA that controls North Korea's nuclear and conventional strategic missiles. It is mainly equipped with surface-to-surface missiles of Soviet and Chinese design, as well as locally developed long-range missiles. The Korean People's Army Special Operation Force (KPASOF)
11445-533: Was named as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces as well as the "supreme representative of all the Korean people". The 8th WPK Congress held in 2021 marked the consolidation of WPK control over the army, as well as a further decrease in the army's power; the number of military delegates dropped from 719 in the 7th Congress to 408. Politburo members increased from 28 to 30, though incumbent military elite membership decreased from eight to six. "Military-first policy"
11554-439: Was scheduled to take place as the US 7th Division began its embarkation. The third and final line was a tight arc about 1 mile (1.6 km) outside the limits of Hungnam to be occupied by the 3rd Division as that division itself prepared to outload. During this final phase of the evacuation 3rd Division units were to use rearguard tactics to cover their own embarkation. Almond published his formal evacuation order on 11 December,
11663-561: Was shipped out during the Marine loading, but the heavier evacuation of material began after the Marines sailed. From 15 December onwards service units gradually moved depots and supply points into the port area proper and the bulk supplies and heavy equipment were either loaded aboard ships double-banked at the docks or lightered to ships in the harbor. To save time, ammunition was loaded at the docks instead of well out into open water according to usual precautionary practice. This constant outward flow of material paralleled unit embarkations through
11772-445: Was to be by sea, with the Hungnam defenses contracting as Corps' forces were loaded, but airlift was to be employed for as long as Yonpo Airfield remained within the shrinking perimeter. In deciding how to evacuate his forces and still successfully defend his perimeter, Almond considered two alternatives. He could place all divisions on the perimeter and then withdraw portions of each simultaneously, or he could pull out one division at
11881-482: Was to devote its full effort to supporting the corps operation. In addition, Doyle was to arrange both naval air and naval gunfire support. Reinforced by ships supplied by Admiral Arthur Dewey Struble , the Seventh Fleet commander, Doyle eventually was able to employ seven carriers in throwing a canopy of aircraft over the Corps area and to deploy one battleship, two cruisers, seven destroyers, and three rocket ships in
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