Deployed to the Front Before Commissioning... Army Cadet School Classes 1 and 2 Named June Korean War Heroes

A Total of 245 Cadets Killed in Action During the Korean War

The Army Cadet School Classes 1 and 2 have been selected as the June 2025 Korean War Heroes of the Month.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced on May 30 that it has selected the Army Cadet School Classes 1 and 2, who were organized into the "Cadet Combat Battalion" and participated in major fronts during the Korean War, as the "June 2025 Korean War Heroes of the Month."

According to the ministry, a total of 539 cadets from Classes 1 and 2 of the Army Cadet School were assigned to the Cadet Combat Battalion and deployed to the front lines immediately after the outbreak of the Korean War. Class 1 was just two weeks away from commissioning, while Class 2 had only been enrolled for 25 days.

The deployment of cadets from Classes 1 and 2 to the front lines was due to the urgent situation at the front. The North Korean 1st Corps concentrated its forces in the Yeoncheon, Uncheon, and Uijeongbu areas with the aim of occupying Seoul and annihilating the main South Korean forces. In particular, the Naeri area of Naechon-myeon, a strategic junction on National Road 47 connecting Pocheon and Toegyewon, was a critical point; if it fell into enemy hands, the retreat routes for South Korean forces in the Uijeongbu and Pocheon directions would be cut off.

However, the Republic of Korea Army 7th Division, which was responsible for the area at the time, had to redeploy its troops due to the rapidly changing battle situation, leaving the area as a defense gap. In response, Chief of Staff Chae Byungduk ordered Army Cadet School Superintendent Lee Joonsik (then Brigadier General) to "organize one battalion of cadets, dispatch them with the police battalion to Hill 372 and Hill 330 (Pocheon), and annihilate the invading enemy."

Accordingly, at 4 p.m. on June 25, the cadets, having completed their combat formation, boarded civilian vehicles and headed toward Gisan-ri, taking charge of the defense of Hill 372 in Pocheon. The next day, the 9th Regiment of the North Korean 3rd Division, which had occupied Uijeongbu, advanced into the area defended by the police battalion. The police battalion, overwhelmed by the North Korean forces' superior firepower, was forced to retreat to the south of the hill, and the North Korean army launched a frontal assault on the Cadet Combat Battalion using mortars and anti-tank guns. In response, the cadets mobilized all available firepower to repel the North Korean forces and held the line.

However, the North Korean army brought in fresh troops and launched another assault. Despite the fierce battle that escalated into hand-to-hand combat, the cadets held their positions to the end. That evening, the Cadet Combat Battalion received orders to withdraw and regroup at Taereung.

Even after this, the cadets continued to resist the North Korean invasion under harsh conditions, conducting delaying actions and guerrilla warfare. In particular, 13 cadets remained in Seoul and, together with other remaining troops, formed the "Bureamsan Guerrilla Unit" to fight the enemy to the end.

During the war, Classes 1 and 2 of the Army Cadet School suffered heavy sacrifices, with a total of 245 cadets killed in action.