Operation Hong Kil Dong
Military action of the Vietnam War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Operation Hong Kil Dong (홍길동작전) was the largest South Korean operation of the Vietnam War.[2] The 48-day-long operation was claimed by South Korea as a major success as they claimed to have thwarted People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN)/Viet Cong (VC) infiltration into friendly areas. The results of the operation were a claim of a kill ratio of 24:1 in the Korean's report primarily killed by heavy artillery, aerial bombardment and B-52 Arclight strikes : 638 PAVN/VC. 98 crew-served and 359 individual weapons were found in the aftermath.[3]
Operation Hong Kil Dong | |||||||
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Part of Vietnam War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
South Korea |
North Vietnam Viet Cong | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Lt. Gen.Chae Myung Shin | Unknown | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Capital Division 9th Infantry Division |
5th Division 85th Regiment 95th Regiment | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
26 killed |
Korean body count: 638 killed 88 captured[1] 359 individual and 98 crew-served weapons recovered |
Vietnam veterans such as Commander of the ROK Army Forces in Vietnam and the Chief of Staff of the ROK Army, General Chae Myung-shin, and Colonel (Retired) Choi Hee Nam, wrote about Operation Hong Kil Dong in their Vietnam War memoirs.[4][5]