The Korean War began on 25 June 1950 when Communist North Korea invaded South Korea across the 38th Parallel, which had divided the country since 1945. The North Korean surprise attack routed the South Korean army and it looked as though North Korea would succeed in uniting the country under a Communist regime. The United Nations intervened on the side of South Korea and a coalition force led by the USA succeeded in pushing the North Korean army back towards the Chinese border.
This sparked an attack by the People’s Republic of China in support of North Korea. The United Nations was forced to retreat and the ensuing conflict resulted in a stalemate along the 38th Parallel. On 27 July 1953 an armistice stabilised this boundary between North and South and led to the effective division of the country. Almost 5 million people had been killed in the conflict.
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