The Line Between Us: Part II

Chapter 2: Crossing the 38th Parallel

The days moved in silence.

And while the South still slept, unaware of what was coming,
shadows had already begun to stir along the banks of the Imjin River.

It was around 2:30 in the morning-June 25, 1950.

The night was thick and silent, broken only by the chirping of crickets and the gentle current of the river. At a dense, overgrown section of the northern bank, the 5th Infantry Regiment of the North Korean Army, under the 4th division, had arrived-along with several military trucks, supply vehicles, and an engineering unit tasked with assembling the pontoon bridge.

All vehicles came to a halt near the edge of the Imjin River.

In the midst of the darkness, Lieutenant Han Joon-seok stepped down from a truck. Dressed in an olive uniform, a pair of binoculars hanging from his neck, he was immediately approached by an engineer officer.

"중위 동지"
("Comrade Lieutenant,") the officer whispered.

"곧 교량 설치를 시작하겠습니다. 해 뜨기 전에 완공될 것입니다."
("We're about to begin assembling the bridge. It should be completed before sunrise.")

Joon-seok gave a silent nod and looked out toward the river. It wasn't especially wide, but the current ran deep.

His gaze briefly shifted to the side, where a few soldiers quietly unloaded small rubber boats from the trucks-carefully dragging them toward the shore, attaching paddles and ropes with practiced ease.

Joon-seok spoke:

"고무정은 예비용이다. 작전 개시 시까지 교량이 준비되지 않으면, 정찰 소대가 먼저 고무정을 이용해 도하한다. 부교가 완성되면 나머지는 지체 없이 뒤따른다."
("The boats will serve as backup. If the bridge isn't ready by the time the operation begins, the scout platoon will use them to cross first. Once the pontoon is in place, the rest will follow without delay.")

"예 중위 동지."
("Yes, Lieutenant.")

As the engineers steadily joined aluminum pontoons using ropes and steel hooks, the riverbank remained silent-everyone keeping a close eye on the clock, the darkness, and the stars.

Just before 4:00 AM, Lieutenant Han Joon-seok and his unit were already in position along the banks of the Imjin-the pontoon bridge nearly complete.

With a submachine gun in hand, Lieutenant Joon-seok gave the order to the soldiers gripping their rifles tightly.

"이제 도하한다!"
("It's time to cross!")

And the first wave of troops began moving.

As Joon-seok and his unit quietly crossed the bridge, they could see, off to the right, several soldiers from the scout platoon keeping pace using rubber boats-swift and silent.

Upon reaching the southern bank, the soldiers quickly took their positions along the shallow shore. Mud clung to Lieutenant Han Joon-seok's boots, while the early morning wind brushed against the damp fabric of his uniform.

He looked ahead-low and tangled grassland, a barren rice field, and in the distance, a hill faintly lit by the pale light of the moon.

Standing at the center of the group, he raised his arm.

"부대를 나눈다! 정찰대는 전방! 1소대는 좌측, 2소대는 우측으로 이동! 지역을 확보한다. 명령 없이는 사격하지 마라!"
("Split the unit! Scouts up front. Platoon 1 to the left, Platoon 2 to the right. Clear the area. No one fires unless ordered.")

One of the scouts stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.

"중위 동지, 동쪽에 언덕이 있습니다. 언덕 너머에 문산으로 바로 연결되는 길이 있습니다."
("Sir, there's a hill to the east. There's a road just beyond that hill that leads straight to Munsan.")