Korean War
- Date
- 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953
- Category
- Military & conflict
- Region
- East Asia (Korea)
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
The Korean War began on 25 June 1950 when North Korean forces invaded South Korea across the 38th parallel.
A United Nations coalition led by the United States intervened to repel the invasion; after UN forces pushed north toward the Chinese border, the People's Republic of China entered the war in late 1950, sending hundreds of thousands of troops and driving the front back toward the original dividing line. The Soviet Union provided air support and materiel. After two years of stalemate near the 38th parallel, an armistice was signed on 27 July 1953, establishing a demilitarised zone but no formal peace treaty. The war killed an estimated 2.5 million or more people, the majority Korean soldiers and civilians, and left the peninsula permanently divided. It hardened Cold War confrontation in Asia, triggered major Western rearmament, entrenched US military commitment in the region, and confirmed the People's Republic of China as a decisive military power.
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Empires active in 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953
- Soviet Union1922 CE – 1991 CE
- French Colonial Empire (Second)1830 CE – 1962 CE
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Spanish Empire1492 CE – 1976 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
- Solomonic dynasty1270 CE – 1974 CE
Related military & conflict events
- Creation of Israel and the 1948 Arab–Israeli War14 May 1948 (war May 1948 – July 1949)
- Cuban Missile Crisis16–28 October 1962
- Fall of Saigon and reunification of Vietnam30 April 1975 (reunified 1976)
- Khmer Rouge Seize Cambodia and Declare Year Zero1975
- The Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi7 April – 19 July 1994
- The September 11 attacks11 September 2001
Further reading
The wider story
China: A History
Sweeping, readable single-volume narrative of China from its beginnings to today.
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