History

The 7th Infantry Regiment is a military formation of the 6th Division

6th Infantry Division (South Korea)

-History:The 6th Infantry Division was a military formation of the Republic of Korea Army during the 20th Century. The Division consisted of the 2nd, 7th, and 19th Regiments....

 of the Republic of Korea Army

Republic of Korea Army

The Republic of Korea Army is the largest of the military branches of the South Korean armed forces with 520,000 members as of 2010...

. It was the first unit of the United Nations Command

United Nations Command (Korea)

The United Nations Command is the unified command structure for the multinational military forces supporting the Republic of Korea during and after the Korean War...

 to reach the Yalu River

Yalu River

The Yalu River or the Amnok River is a river on the border between North Korea and the People's Republic of China....

, and the only unit operating under Eighth Army command to do so during the war. The 7th Infantry Regiment was originally activated as on February 7, 1946 at Chongju

Chongju

Chongju is a si, or city, in southern North Pyongan province, North Korea. Prior to 1994, it was designated as a kun or county. The terrain is mostly level, but mountainous in the north. To the south lies the Chongju Plain, where the hills do not rise above 200 metres...

 and was first commanded by 2nd Lt. Min Ki Shik. The unit was initially assigned to the 4th Brigade in April 1949, which later became the 6th Brigade in November 1948, and was later reassigned to the 6th Division when it was activated in May 1949.

The unit participated in the Battle of Pusan Perimeter

Battle of Pusan Perimeter

The Battle of Pusan Perimeter was a large-scale battle between United Nations and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 – September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the Korean War...

.

It also participated in the general 6th Division drive northwards during the UN offensive of 1950

UN Offensive, 1950

The first United Nations offensive during the Korean War began on September 15, 1950, with the U.S. X Corps, under Army Maj. Gen. Edward M. Almond, making an amphibious assault at Inchon, 150 miles north from the frontlines. In the south, the Eighth U.S. Army, made up of U.S., ROK, and British...

, until it reached Huichon

Huichon

Hŭich'ŏn is a city in the southern part of Chagang Province, North Korea. The population is 163,000 .-History:Hŭich'ŏn was formerly a small village, since the Korean War and an influx of government investment, it has become a base for electronics and machinery production for...

, nearly sixteen miles north of Kujang-dong, on the night of October 23, 1950. Passing through Onjong

Onjong

-History:Onjŏng was a ri from 1949 to 1954.In October 1950, Onjŏng was the location of the Battle of Onjong, the first contact between Chinese and United Nations Command forces in the Korean War....

 during the night of the twenty-fourth, the regiment, turned north and advanced toward Chosan

Chosan

Chosan is a kun, or county, in Chagang province, North Korea. It borders the People's Republic of China to the north.The terrain slopes downward from the Kangnam Mountains in the south to the Yalu River in the north. The highest peak is Namhaetaesan . Some 20% of the land is arable, with animal...

, fifty miles away on the Yalu River

Yalu River

The Yalu River or the Amnok River is a river on the border between North Korea and the People's Republic of China....

. A reinforced reconnaissance platoon from the regiment entered Chosan the next morning and found the North Koreans retreating across the Yalu into China over a narrow floating footbridge.

After the Battle of Onjong

Battle of Onjong

The Battle of Onjong , also known as the Battle of Wenjing , was one of the first engagements between Chinese and United Nations forces during the Korean War. It took place around Onjong in present-day North Korea from October 25 to October 29, 1950...

, the 6th division ordered the regiment to withdraw south. Before it could do so, however, it needed supplies, which were airdropped on the twenty-eighth. As it headed south the following morning, it ran into an enemy roadblock about twenty miles south of Kojang. Although it was able, with heavy air support, to fend off the enemy in daylight, the regiment was defeated and dispersed during the night. Eventually, about 875 officers and men of the 3,552 in the regiment escaped to Kunuri

Kunuri

Kunu-ri is a village located in South Pyongan Province, North Korea. A key battle of the Korean War, the Battle of Kunu-ri, took place there in November 1950. Kunu-ri was mainly a communication center and a railroad station at the time, and it contains the lateral east-west road which runs from...

and rejoined the 6th Division.