The Korean War

The Korean War, occurring between June 25, 1950 and a ceasefire on July 27, 1953, was a war fought in Korea that was divided by the post-World War II Soviet and American occupation zones, with large-scale participation by other countries. The war began with the invasion of capitalist South Korea by forces in communist North Korea in 1950 and ended as a stalemate between the two sides in 1953.

The principal support on the side of the North Korean communists was the People's Republic of China, with limited assistance by Soviet combat advisors, military pilots, and weapons. South Korea was supported by United Nations (UN) forces, principally from the United States, although many other nations also contributed personnel. When conflicts began, North and South Korea existed as provisional governments competing for control over the Korean peninsula after the Division of Korea.

In South Korea, the war is often called 6·25, from the date of the start of the conflict or, more formally, Han-guk Jeonjaeng (Korean:, literally "Korean War"). In North Korea, it is formally called the Fatherland Liberation War (Korean:). In the United States, the conflict was officially termed a police action — the Korean Conflict — rather than a war, largely in order to avoid the necessity of a declaration of war by the U.S. Congress. The war is sometimes referred to outside Korea as "The Forgotten War", because it is a major conflict of the 20th century that is rarely mentioned in public discourse. In China, the conflict was known as the War to Resist America and Aid Korea, but is today commonly called the "Korean War."