1st Infantry Division (South Korea)
| 1st Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
Division insignia
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| Active | December 1, 1947 – present |
| Country |
 South Korea
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| Branch |
 Republic of Korea Army
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| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Part of | I Corps (South Korea) |
| Garrison/HQ | Paju, Gyeonggi |
| Nickname(s) | "Forward" |
| Motto(s) | "Allegiance, Honor, Solidarity" |
| Engagements |
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| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Paik Sun-yup Chun Doo-hwan |
The 1st Infantry Division (Korean: 제1보병사단, Hangul: 第一步兵師團) is a military formation of the Republic of Korea Army's I Corps. The division was established on 12 May 1945 under the command of Colonel Kim Suk-won.
Current structure:
The division was the first units of the ROK Army to be attacked by the North Koreans on June 25, 1950. At 4 a.m. the North Koreans began an artillery barrage on the division's positions along the 38th Parallel. The artillery bombardment was quickly followed by ground attacks by the NKPA's 1st and 6th Infantry Divisions. It became part of II Corps after the first fall of Seoul, and was part of the defensive line to slow the North Korean advance from Seoul to Taejon. It subsequently fought in the Battle of Pusan Perimeter.
On October 19, 1950 Company F of the U.S. 5th Cavalry entered Pyongyang, followed shortly thereafter by 1st Division elements from the northeast. The next morning, the division reached the heart of the city and took the strongly fortified administrative center without difficulty. The entire city was secured by 10:00 that day.
"In the western half of North Korea, as part of the U.S. I Corps’ general advance on October 25, 1950, the 1st Division was spread out on the road that ran from the Chongchon River to Unsan. The division’s 15th Regiment passed through Yongbyon and continued toward Unsan without opposition. In the lead were elements of Company D, 6th Medium Tank Battalion, which also passed through Unsan without incident. Just before 1100, as the tanks approached a bridge one and a half miles northeast of the town, enemy mortar fire destroyed the bridge. Engaging the enemy force, the soldiers reported a half-hour later that at least three hundred Chinese troops were in the hills just north of Unsan. The 12th Regiment, the second division unit in the column, turned west when it arrived at Unsan, and also ran into Chinese forces just beyond the town. The CCF’s attacks against the 1st Division continued on the twenty-sixth but eased up the following day."
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Wikipedia