Korean War
Cold War conflict on the Korean Peninsula that ended in armistice and a hardened division at the DMZ.
Historical overview
Overview adapted from a Wikipedia summary and stored locally on May 11, 2026.
The Korean War was an armed conflict fought on the Korean Peninsula between North Korea and South Korea and their allies. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union, while South Korea was supported by the United Nations led by the United States under the auspices of the United Nations Command (UNC). The conflict was one of the first major proxy wars of the Cold War and one of its deadliest conflicts on noncombatants, as it is estimated that 1.5 to 3 million civilians were killed during the war. The war was the first time the United Nations Security Council authorized the use of force under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
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Border context
Early Cold War and decolonization
Cold War blocs emerge while Asian and African decolonization creates new sovereign states.
Korea is divided after war. Israel and neighboring armistice lines reshape the Levant. Algeria's war signals the end of French North Africa.