Operation Hong Kil Dong
| Operation Hong Kil Dong | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Vietnam War | |||||||
| |||||||
| 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 359 individual and 98 crew-served weapons recovered | ||||||
Operation Hong Kil Dong (홍길동작전) was the largest South Korean operation of the Vietnam War. 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.
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.