United Nations Partisan Infantry Korea
Encyclopedia
United Nations Partisan Infantry Korea (UNPIK), also known as the White Tigers, was a unit during the Korean War
that was consolidated under the control of Eighth United States Army, Korea
's 8th Army G-3 Miscellaneous Group, 8086th and 8240th Army
Unit. The details about the undercover operation was made public by the US Army in 1990. The unit worked deep inside North Korea
to gather intelligence
, conduct raids and sabotage
, rescue POW
s, recruit & lead guerrilla armies and create confusion in the enemy’s rear.
The unit is widely seen as the second steppingstone towards the setting up of a permanent special forces
doctrine in the US Army. A documentary about the unit has been produced by the History Channel
as part of their Heroes under fire series.
UNPIK was disbanded in 1954.
The island Wollaedo in the Yellow Sea was used as a base by pro-Southern partisans during the war. This position was regularly bombarded by Northern artillery on the mainland of Cape Changsan. In 1952, a group of partisans working together with UNPIK landed on the cape. They successfully took control of and destroyed the artillery site, escaping with
small losses.
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
that was consolidated under the control of Eighth United States Army, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
's 8th Army G-3 Miscellaneous Group, 8086th and 8240th Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
Unit. The details about the undercover operation was made public by the US Army in 1990. The unit worked deep inside North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
to gather intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
, conduct raids and sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
, rescue POW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
s, recruit & lead guerrilla armies and create confusion in the enemy’s rear.
The unit is widely seen as the second steppingstone towards the setting up of a permanent special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
doctrine in the US Army. A documentary about the unit has been produced by the History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
as part of their Heroes under fire series.
UNPIK was disbanded in 1954.
The island Wollaedo in the Yellow Sea was used as a base by pro-Southern partisans during the war. This position was regularly bombarded by Northern artillery on the mainland of Cape Changsan. In 1952, a group of partisans working together with UNPIK landed on the cape. They successfully took control of and destroyed the artillery site, escaping with
small losses.
External links
- The White Tigers Veterans of Foreign WarsVeterans of Foreign WarsThe Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
Magazine - The Korean War, United Nations Special Operations in Korea
- Organigramme
- List of medals and patches
- My Secret War in North Korea, book review