Key Facts
- Duration
- August 4 – September 18, 1950 (46 days)
- UN troop strength
- 140,000 troops
- KPA troop strength
- 98,000 troops
- Perimeter length
- 140 miles (230 km)
- KPA major assaults
- 2 (August and September)
Strategic Narrative Overview
For six weeks, 140,000 UN troops held a 140-mile perimeter against 98,000 KPA soldiers who launched two major offensives in August and September. Fighting raged around Taegu, Masan, Pohang, and the Naktong River. UN control of the port allowed rapid reinforcement and supply, while UN naval and air superiority went unchallenged, gradually degrading KPA strength and logistics.
01 / The Origins
Following North Korea's invasion of South Korea in June 1950, the Korean People's Army drove UN and Republic of Korea forces steadily southward. Repeated defeats left UN forces with little territory remaining, ultimately compressed into a narrow defensive zone around the port of Busan in the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, making a final coordinated stand unavoidable.
03 / The Outcome
The KPA, battered by attrition and supply failures, could not breach the perimeter. On September 15, 1950, UN forces executed the Inchon landing behind enemy lines, and UN perimeter forces broke out the following day. The KPA collapsed and retreated northward. The battle marked the farthest extent of North Korean advance; subsequent fighting eventually settled into a stalemate along roughly the original border.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
3 belligerents
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.