Monument to the Breakthrough of the 38th Parallel

This memorial commemorates the crossing of the 38th Parallel by the US 70th Tank Unit, 191st Platoon, Thai 21st Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion as well as Greek troops. During this operation, the Thai troops stood out conspicuously. In early December 1950, they crossed the 38th Parallel and guarded the withdrawal of UN troops from Gaeseong. They were attached to the US 8th Army on December 13 and moved to Suwon. After that, the battalion became part of the US 1st Cavalry Division, which launched a counterattack on March 7, and advanced to the Hwacheon Reservoir on April 3. In this battle, the Thais took 22 Chinese troops prisoner and rescued 4 US Army soldiers who had been held as POWs. They repelled three Chinese Army assaults in hand-to-hand combat and finally won the battle. In this process, the Thai soldiers earned the title “the Little Tigers.” In 1976, the Thai 21st Infantry Regiment built the monument. Korean Army Unit 2136 relocated the monument to its current location in 2004, and recently it was refurbished as a UN forces commemorative structure.

Epitaph: The flower of soldiery passed this way 28 may 1951. Third crossing of 38 Parallel N. Latitude by the 1st. Cavalry Division United States Army. Attached troops 70th Tank BN, 191st CIC DET, Greek Expeditionary Force, 1st BN 21st Thailand Infantry. In commemoration of the gallant United States, Greek and Thailand soldiers who lost their lives in these operations in defense of liberty.

Memorial monument near pre-historic sites in Jeongok-ri was erected to commemorate the third crossing of the 38th parallel. It was erected in 1976 and moved twice. At the present, it is relocated in Choseong-ri, Cheongsan-myeon.