DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA 

At 4 A.M. local time, give or take a few minutes, on a rainy Sunday morning, 25 June 1950, artillery and mortars of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK — North Korea) opened fire with a massive barrage on unsuspecting military forces of the Republic of Korea (ROK — South Korea) positions south of the 38^th Parallel, then the dividing line between the Soviet Union-supported government of North Korea and the United States-supported government of South Korea. The barrage was followed shortly afterward with attacks across the 38^th Parallel by tank-supported North Korean infantry. Thus began the 3-year, 1 month long Korean War.

North Korea was well prepared for war. South Korea was not. North Korea’s army (NKPA or Inmingun) consisted of approximately 223,000 troops broken down into10 divisions plus an armored brigade plus support troops:

1^st NKPA Infantry Division — 20^th, 22^nd, and 24^th Infantry Regiments
2^nd NKPA Infantry Division — 4^th, 16^th, and 17^th Infantry Regiments
3^rd NKPA Infantry Division — 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th Infantry Regiments
4^th NKPA Infantry Division — 5^th, 16^th, and 18^th Infantry Regiments
5^th NKPA Infantry Division — 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th Infantry Regiments
6^th NKPA Infantry Division — 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th Infantry Regiments
7^th NKPA Infantry Division — 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Infantry Regiments
10^th NKPA Infantry Division — 25^th, 27^th, and 29^th Infantry Regiments
13^th NKPA Infantry Division — 19^th, 21^st, and 23^rd Infantry Regiments
15^th NKPA Infantry Division — 45^th, 48^th, and 50^th Infantry Regiments
105^th Armored Brigade — 107^th, 109^th, and 203^rd Armored Regiments plus
206^th Mechanized Infantry Brigade

The armored regiments were equipped with Soviet-made T-34 tanks. South Korea had no tanks nor much in the way of anti-tank weapons. Of the infantry divisions, the 1^st through 7^th Infantry Divisions were "first-line" while the 10^th, 13^th, and 15^th Infantry Divisions were "second-line" or reserve. North Korea used its "first-line" divisions in the attack on South Korea while using the "second-line" units for internal security. Front line strength of the NKPA on 25 June 1950 was approximately 90,000 men. The NKPA was supported by a small North Korean air force and an even smaller, less effective navy.

Back to North Korean page

Back to Korean War Homepage