Captain Joseph R. Darrigo held the distinction of the only American officer on the 38th Parallel the morning of June 25th. He served as an advisor to the ROK 12th Regiment on the edge of Kaesong, just below Songak-san. At daybreak he awoke to the sound of artillery fire. As he jumped in his jeep, small-arms fire peppered the ground nearby. Starting the jeep he beheld a startling sight about a half mile away at the railroad station: in plain view scores of North Korean soldiers disembarked from fifteen train cars, formed up and began advancing toward the center of town. The 13th and 15th Regiments of the North Korean 6th Division had commenced their attack on Kaesong, killing or capturing most of the ROK 12th Regiment. Nothing, it seemed, could stop them.

Only two 12th Regiment companies escaped to report Kaesong's capture. Local commanders decided to move the 11th Regiment to assist the 13th Regiment immediately in the Musan-ni and Korango’o-ri areas and agreed they would blow the bridge over the Imjin River after the 12th Regiment withdrew across it. The explosives failed to detonate as the North Korean 1st Division and supporting tanks of the 105th Armored Brigade approached.

Failure to destroy the bridge led to bitter fighting. ROK soldiers of 13th Regiment engaged in suicide tactics, clutching high explosives and hurling themselves under the enemy tanks. Others approached the tanks with satchel or pole charges, or tried to pry open tank hatches and throw grenades inside. These volunteers destroyed a few tanks, but most were killed. The 2.36-inch bazookas and 37mm anti-tank guns proved ineffective against most of the advancing tanks, while the Soviet-made 122mm artillery out-ranged the South Korean 105mm American hand-me-downs. Nevertheless, ROK units fought hard in this area. They held up the enemy for over three days in the Korangp’ o-ri position, buying time for the South Korean Army to reassemble, and for American reinforcements to arrive.