Chuncheon Battle Monument (Chuncheon Battle Memorial Hall)

This is a monument built to commemorate the Battle of Chuncheon, where the ROK 6th Division fought a fierce defensive battle during the Korean War. The 7th Regiment of the 6th Division, deployed in the Chuncheon area, established a defense line along the Soyang River centered on Soyang Bridge, the northern gateway to Chuncheon, and tenaciously blocked the enemy 2nd Division, which was spearheaded by SU-76 self-propelled gun units. It was at this time that Second Lieutenant Shim Il, a platoon leader of the anti-tank artillery company, destroyed enemy self-propelled guns using anti-tank artillery and hand-to-hand attacks. The 2nd Regiment of the 6th Division, deployed in the Hongcheon area, also fought to block the enemy 12th Division, which was led by self-propelled gun units and T-34 tanks. They established a defense line centered on Malgogae Pass north of Hongcheon, organized a commando unit, and conducted effective delaying actions by destroying enemy self-propelled guns and tanks. The defensive battles in the Chuncheon and Hongcheon areas continued successfully until June 28, when North Korean forces entered Seoul. Then, following orders from the Army Headquarters, they retreated toward Wonju from the afternoon of June 28 while maintaining unit organization. The Battle of Chuncheon and Hongcheon, which inflicted heavy casualties while repelling the enemy's successive attacks, was the only battle in which our forces won a defensive victory immediately after the outbreak of the Korean War. This not only dealt a major blow to the North Korean surprise attack strategy but also was a very valuable victory that bought time for our main forces to form the Han River defense line and for UN forces to enter the war.