The Iron Triangle was a key communist Chinese and

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n concentration area and communications junction during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, located in the central sector between Cheorwon and Kimhwa in the south and Pyonggang in the north. The area was located 20 to 30 miles (30 to 50 kilometres) north of the 38th parallel in the diagonal corridor dividing the

Taebaek Mountains The Taebaek Mountains () are a mountain range that stretches across North Korea and South Korea. They form the main ridge of the Korean peninsula. Geography The Taebaek mountains are located along the eastern edge of the peninsula and run alon ...

into northern and southern ranges and contained the major road and rail links between the port of

Wonsan Wonsan (), previously known as Wonsanjin (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwon Province (North Korea), Kangwon Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

in the northeast and

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

in the southwest. During the war the area was the scene of heavy fighting between the Chinese

People's Volunteer Army The People's Volunteer Army (PVA), officially the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV), was the armed expeditionary forces China in the Korean War, deployed by the History of the People's Republic of China (1949–1976), People's Republic of Chi ...

and the US Eighth Army during the Battle of White Horse Hill and the Battle of Triangle Hill in October–November 1952. The

Battle of Pork Chop Hill The Battle of Pork Chop Hill, known as Battle of Seokhyeon-dong Northern Hill ( zh, 石峴洞北山戰鬥) in China, is a pair of related Korean War infantry battles that took place on April 16 and July 11, 1953 while the United Nations Command ...

in March–July 1953 took place to the west of the Iron Triangle.Tucker et al. 2000, p. 650. This complex was eventually named the "Iron Triangle" by newsmen searching for a dramatic term. Today, the region straddles the

Demilitarized Zone A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between states, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or boundary ...

Battles

* Battle of Haktang-ni (9–13 October 1951) * Battle of Hill Eerie (21 March – 18 July 1952) * Battle of White Horse Hill (6–15 October 1952) * Battle of Arrowhead Hill (6–10 October 1952; 29 June – 11 July 1953) * Battle of Triangle Hill (14 October – 25 November 1952) * Battle of Sniper Ridge (14 October – 25 November 1952) * Battle of Chatkol (26 February – 21 April 1953) *

(16–18 April; 6–11 July 1953) * Battle of Outpost Harry (10–18 June 1953)

Notes

References

* * Kangwon Province (pre-1910) Battles of the Korean War involving the United States Battles of the Korean War involving South Korea Battles of the Korean War involving Belgium Battles of the Korean War involving China Korean War {{Korea-War-stub