The 43rd Infantry Division was a military formation of the Korean People's Army. Defended the Yesong River crossing and the coastal area beyond the river, west of the Kaesong/Kumchon line. The 1st Cavalry Division's 7th Cavalry Regiment traversed the Yesong River and advanced north on the road from Paekchon to the small town of Hanpo-ri, six miles north of Kumchon, where the main Pyongyang road crossed the Yesong River, and established a blocking position.