Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command Visits Osan's Jukmi-ryeong Battlefield, First Symbol of Korea-U.S. Alliance

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Choi Ki-ho] Osan City announced that the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command visited the Jukmi-ryeong First Battle site in Osan on the 14th to pay respects and conducted a tour of the Jukmi-ryeong Peace Park area developed by Osan City.

The tour was attended by Deputy Commander An Byung-seok of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces and approximately 50 allied troops under Chief of Staff Willard Burleson of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, who visited Osan's Jukmi-ryeong where the first battle between UN forces and North Korean forces took place during the Korean War. This is the first event since the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command headquarters completed its relocation to the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek (Camp Humphreys) last month.

Osan's Jukmi-ryeong was the site where the Smith Task Force, consisting of 406 infantrymen and 134 artillerymen from the 21st Regiment, 24th Division of the U.S. Eighth Army, arrived in Busan aboard C-54 Douglas transport aircraft during the Korean War, and after establishing positions at dawn on July 5th at Jukmi-ryeong, engaged in combat with approximately 5,000 North Korean troops led by advanced tanks.

The Jukmi-ryeong battle in Osan was a battle in which retreat was inevitable due to tanks and the large number of North Korean forces, but it is evaluated as an important turning point that halted the North Korean advance, enabled the construction of the Nakdong River defense line, made the Inchon Landings counteroffensive possible, and determined the subsequent deployment of UN allied ground forces.

Since 2010, Osan City began projects to reexamine the historical significance of the Jukmi-ryeong battle. In 2013, it established the UN Forces First Battle Memorial Hall to commemorate the history of the Jukmi-ryeong battle and the sacrifices of UN forces. Subsequently, in 2019, the Smith Peace Hall was built, allowing visitors to experience the Jukmi-ryeong battle from a first-person perspective using VR and other technologies, playing a role in conveying the horrors of war and the value of peace.

After paying respects at Jukmi-ryeong Peace Park, Deputy Commander An Byung-seok of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces left a message in the visitor's log stating, "We will not forget the first symbol of the active Korea-U.S. alliance and the sacrifice and dedication of the Smith Task Force members."

Mayor Lee Gwon-jae of Osan stated, "We express our gratitude for the dedication of the Smith Task Force, the first UN forces combat site in the Korean War, and hope to further strengthen the Korea-U.S. alliance."