Yu Jae-hung

Yu Jae Hung (유재흥, 劉載興) Republic of Korea (ROK) military officer who commanded the ROK II Corps and ROK III Corps in the Korean War.

Yu Jae Hung was born in Japan, Aichi province, August 3, 1921. He graduated from the Japanese Military Academy.

At the time of Japan's surrender, Yu Jae Hung had been a battalion commander in the Japanese Army. When the ROK Army was first formed, he served as a Colonel. When the Cheju Uprising occurred, he and his forces were sent to the island to restore order. There was heavy fighting on the island but he finally was able to pacify the situation by promising not to prosecute those who surrendered.

At the outset of the Korean War, Brigadier General Yu Jae Hung was commanding ROK 7th Division. After the invasion of South Korea proved to be too much, he was part of the effort to conduct a tactical withdrawal to the Naktong River.

After organizing defenses at the river and receiving US aide, the ROK Army was reorganized and outfitted. As of July 1950, Yu Jae Hung was commanding the ROK II Corps. As of September 1950, The II Corps was in Hayang defending the Naktong Line.

After the September Offensive by the North Korean Army had strained the defenses of the ROK II Corps. General Yu ordered the ROK 6th Division and 8th Division under his command to send a regiment each to retake Yongchon. The attempt was largely unsuccessful and General Yu's requests for US armor support were not always met but crucial to the retaking of the hill. Yongchon was lost and retaken on two occasions. Captured Inmin-gun documents showed that Kim Il Sung considered the hill to be a crucial strategic point and vital to winning the war but failed repeatedly in his attempts. Gen. Yu's defense of the area was later commemorated by a monument in his honor.

In October 1950, after a successful landing at Inchon, North Korean troops retreated and UN forces pushed north into North Korea in. During the advance, Maj. Gen. Yu was on the central front. He made it as far as Chorwon before stopping. ROK Army Chief of Staff Chung Il Kwon wanted a Korean Unit to be the first to enter Pyongyang so he had Maj. Gen. Yu sent a regiment to take the city. They encountered pockets of resistance but the unorganized nature of it made the task easy to accomplish.

There were reports of Chinese Army involvement and some Chinese soldiers were captured but US intelligence did not believe that China would be intervening.

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