Thailand in the Korean War

The Kingdom of Thailand was one of the 21 countries who responded to the United Nations request to send troops to aid South Korea during the Korean War 1950-1953. As well as being one of the first countries to openly express its support for South Korea's cause, whilst also being one of the UN's larger contributors to the war. Thai support was important to battles determining the outcome of the war, including Pork Chop Hill and the Third Battle of Seoul.

The Royal Thai Expeditionary Forces to Korea
21st Combined Regiment
Emblem of the Royal Thai Expeditionary Forces to Korea
ActiveAugust 1950 – March 1955
Disbanded1955, after armistice
CountryThailand
AllegianceUnited Nations
BranchArmy
TypeInfantry Battalion
Size11,786 over the course of the war[1]
Part ofUS 1st Cavalry Division
Nickname(s)"Little Tigers"
Engagements
DecorationsRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations (3)
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Major General Prince Pisit Dispongsa-Diskul
Lt. Colonel Kriengkrai Attanand
Major Kriangsak Chamanan
King Bhumibol Adulyadej (crowned on 5 May 1950) announced "The royal war in Korea" (Thai: พระราชสงครามในเกาหลี).

Intervention

In July 1950, Thailand was the first Asian nation to respond to the US call for allies in Korea. Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram told parliament that, "by sending just a small number of troops as a token of our friendship, we will get various things in return." A month after agreeing to commit troops, Thailand received US$10 million in US economic aid and a US$25 million loan from the World Bank.[2] Four tons of rice were sent to Korea immediately as food aid, followed by an infantry battalion from the 21st Combined Regiment (later renamed the 21st Infantry Regiment, Queen's Guard) and several warships.[3] Later in the conflict, several transport aircraft were sent by the Thai government.

21st Royal Thailand Regiment

Operations in Korea

Battle of Pork Chop Hill

The Battle of Pork Chop Hill (31 October to 11 November 1952) involved numerous battles struggling for control of key territory along the front line while truce talks at Panmunjom proceeded. Pork Chop Hill was held by soldiers of the US 7th Infantry Division, the Thai 21st Infantry Battalion, and other units. They together repulsed attacks by the People's Volunteer Army (PVA). The Chinese made an all-out effort to capture the hill. Eventually, the UN forces withdrew from its heights, ceding it to the Chinese.

After the engagement, the United States military awarded Major Kriangsak Chamanan the Legion of Merit of which he was later invited and received scholarship to study at Fort Leavenworth, where he left his name in the school hall of fame. In 1977 he became the 25th Prime Minister of Thailand, serving until 1980. Another 12 received Silver Stars and 26 were awarded Bronze Star medals. The Thai unit earned the nickname "Little Tigers" for their valour.[4]

Thai Soldiers arriving at Pusan, 1950.

In last spring of the war (March to June 1953), the Thai infantry spent most of their time training and as 9th US Corps reserve. They then relocated to Kyo-dong on 4 May 1953. A battle followed in the vicinity of the "Boomerang" from 14 to 27 July 1953 northwest of Kimhwa, after a Belgian victory in the Battle of Chatkol.

Post-armistice

Small Thai contingents remained in Korea until June 1972[3] and a symbolic presence remains there in 2020.

The USS Glendale and Gallup in Thailand, 1951 prior to being handed over to the Royal Thai Navy. The Gallup, which had already served in Korea with the US Navy, would also serve there with the Thai navy under the name HMTS Prasae II.

On 7 November 1950 two Thai warships, HTMS Prasae and HTMS Bangpakong, arrived in South Korea. They served under United Nations command, performing escort duty and shelling enemy targets on land. The Prasae ran aground on the coast near Yangyang during a snowstorm. Attempts to refloat her failed, and she was scuttled on 7 January 1951, her wreck being shelled to complete her destruction. The Bangpakong left Korea on 16 February 1952. On 29 December 1951 two more Thai warships, HTMS Prasae II and the HTMS Tachin, arrived in Korea. They sailed for home a year and a half after the armistice on 21 January 1955.[3]

The transport ship HTMS Sichang arrived in Korea on 7 November 1950, remaining there until 15 July 1951.

Aircraft

Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft took part in the Korean war. Three task force contingents of the Royal Thai Air Force would serve in South Korea:

  1. The first of a total of twenty-two Air Liaison Officers Teams was dispatched to the United Nations Command in 1951.
  2. The first of twenty-nine Air Nursing Teams began its mission on 26 December 1950, remaining there until 1974.
  3. A total of twenty-nine RTAF airlift mission teams served in South Korea from 1951 to 1971.

Legacy
Ribbon of the Thai Victory Medal for the Korean War

During the course of the Korean War, Thailand dispatched a total of 11,786 soldiers to Korea.[4] It is recorded that 129 Thai soldiers lost their lives in the war, 1,139 were wounded, and five were missing in action (MIA).[3] In 1974, the Government of the Republic of Korea built a monument, and a Thai pavilion in Pocheon City, to honour the Thai soldiers who took part in the Korean War. On 4 November 2008, the Thai Embassy in Seoul, with the cooperation from the Office of Defense Attache, hosted the opening ceremony of the Thai memorial at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK) to commemorate the sacrifices made by Thai soldiers during the Korean War. Thailand still maintains, as of 2020, one liaison officer at the Armistice Committee site and six soldiers as members of the United Nations Command Honor Guard Company in Seoul.

HTMS Prasae II was decommissioned from the Royal Thai Navy in 2000, and was designated as a museum ship. She is visible at the mouth of the Prasae River, Rayong Province (Thailand) by the Prasae River Communities Committee where she serves as a memorial. There is also a monument to the 21st Infantry Regiment.

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References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Baker, Chris; Phongpaichit, Pasuk (2009). A History of Thailand (2nd, paper ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 144. ISBN 9780521759151.
  3. "UN Allies; The Kingdom of Thailand". The 60th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  4. Satjipanon, Chaiyong (22 June 2010). "Heroism of the Little Tigers". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
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