The Korean War: From Invasion to Armistice

North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950, rapidly driving South Korean and allied troops toward the southeastern corner of the peninsula.

A United Nations Command led by the United States entered the war in support of South Korea. The Soviet Union backed North Korea, and China later intervened with large ground forces.

A war of reversals

The Pusan Perimeter held through the summer. Inchon and the breakout produced a dramatic northward advance, followed by Chinese intervention and an equally dramatic retreat.

By 1951 the front stabilized near its starting region. Fighting continued while negotiators argued over boundaries and prisoners.

Armistice without settlement

The July 1953 armistice halted major combat and established a demilitarized zone. It did not create a final peace agreement.

The war killed and displaced vast numbers of civilians and soldiers, devastated cities, and entrenched a division that remains central to East Asian security.