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    Korean War Facts

    Tadashi

    Written by Tadashi

    Modified & Updated: 22 Sep 2024

    Jessica Corbett

    Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

    Expert Verified Editorial Guidelines
    North Korea and South Korea flag

    Today, no fighting takes place on the Korean Peninsula. Even so, troops stare warily at each other from the two sides of the 38th Parallel line, separating North Korea and South Korea, while their allies and the rest of the world look on in fear of the fighting to erupt once again. Learn more about this tension with these 100 Korean War facts.

    Quick Facts
    Essential Facts
    Interesting Facts
    1. 01Historians estimated between 2 and 3 million civilians died during the Korean War.
    2. 02Of those, an estimated 1.6 million came from North Korea alone.
    3. 03The Allies sent an estimated 2 million men against an estimated 3 million Communist troops.
    4. 04An estimated 600,000 Allied troops died during the Korean War.
    5. 05The Communists also lost an estimated 700,000 troops during the Korean War.
    1. 01Japan had ruled Korea as a colony from 1910 to 1945.
    2. 02After WWII, the Allies divided Korea along the 38th Parallel.
    3. 03The Soviet Union oversaw the northern half of Korea, while the US oversaw the southern half.
    4. 04The Cold War saw the rise of Communism in North Korea.
    5. 05In contrast, the US established a capitalist state in South Korea.
    6. 06Both North and South Korea claimed legitimacy as the sole government for the peninsula.
    7. 07The Korean War began with an invasion from the north on June 25, 1950.
    8. 08China joined the war later that same year in October.
    9. 09The Soviet Union ultimately decided against joining the war.
    10. 10The fighting finally ended on July 27, 1953.
    1. 01North Korea lost an estimated 3,900 km² of territory to South Korea at the fighting’s end.
    2. 02The north’s lost territory includes the city of Sokcho.
    3. 03However, the north managed to gain the city of Kaesong.
    4. 04No less than 29 nations made up the Allied side of the Korean War.
    5. 05However, the US provided an estimated 90% of all Allied forces.
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