The war between North and South Korea began on June 25, 1950 with North Korean forces crossing the 38th parallel which separates the two countries. The war ended with a cease-fire on July 27, 1953 though the cease fire was never actually signed.
The Korean War was known as the Korean Conflict in the U.S. as President Truman did not ask Congress for a declaration of war but instead went to the UN for a resolution which was approved.
The total casualties for both sides is estimated at 2,500,000 including 460,000 UN troops who died in action or from injuries or disease. More than three-quarters of the countries' infrastructure and government buildings were destroyed as well as half of all housing. The war left the peninsula divided, with a communist state in the North and an authoritarian government in the South which quickly became a democracy with a rapidly growing free-market economy.
The demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea is the most heavily-defended border in the world.
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