Korean War

The Korean War was a conflict fought between North Korea and South Korea. North Korea was supported by the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea was supported by the United Nations (UN). The war lasted from June 25^th1950, and the countries signed an armistice on July 27^th 1953. 

North Korea, led by Kim Il-sung, wanted to unify Korea, with a communist government.  Therefore, supported by Mao Zedong, he invaded South Korea on June 25^th 1950. After Korea was divided in 1948, North Korea wanted to invade and take over South Korea, and make it a part of their communist nation.  

Before he invaded South Korea, Kim Il-sung consulted with Joseph Stalin, who initially refused to become directly involved in the conflict. However,  the Soviet Union supported North Korea with military materials. Despite not being able to get Soviet troops to fight, he gained China's support and many Chinese troops. After North Korea invaded South Korea, the UN, especially the United States, quickly responded with supporting South Korea. Little by little the UN's troops managed to push back the North Korean and Chinese troops, and in the summer of 1951 they had pushed them back to the 38th parallel (the border between North and South Korea).  

 The UN had initially resolved to try to unify Korea, but the U.S. and Great Britain were worried about South Korea's independence, and wanted to decrease the UN's military actions. Even though the war never officially ended, the parties signed an armistice on July 27th, 1953. However, according to the Store norske leksikon, the Korean DMZ ( demilitarized zone) was in 2005, "...still regarded as one of the most suspenseful parts of the world." 

The Korean War is often called the Forgotten War, because, happening right between World War II and the Vietnam War, it was somewhat overshadowed by these gruesome wars. However, the casualties in the Korean War were high. About two million civilians, 1.5 million North Korean troops, 400 000 South Korean troops, and 30 000 American troops were killed. And yet, to this day, the parties have failed to reach an agreement. 

Sources: 

Store norske leksikon: http://snl.no/Koreakrigen

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War