1950 – 1953
The Korean War was an internationalized civil war rooted in Korea’s liberation from Japanese empire, division by Soviet and U.S. occupiers, rival state-building, and violent conflict before 1950. North Korea’s invasion of the South in June 1950 triggered a United Nations Command dominated by the United States; its advance toward the Yalu brought large-scale Chinese intervention, while the Soviet Union supplied the North. Armies and governments on all sides committed atrocities, and U.S.-led bombing devastated North Korea. Front lines eventually stabilized near—not simply at—the 38th parallel. The July 1953 armistice stopped most fighting but no peace treaty followed, leaving a divided peninsula, millions dead or displaced, and separated families.
Chapter-by-chapter narrative with maps, primary sources, and key events.
Explore battles on a live map with a timeline slider and territory overlays.
Deep-dive into every major engagement — commanders, casualties, significance.
Biographical flip cards with real portraits, facts, and full biography pages.
Trace each figure's full life journey — birth, education, battles, and death — on a live map.
Scroll-driven visualization of casualties — each dot a thousand lives.
Weapons, war machines, and the military innovations that defined how this conflict was fought.
Cause-and-effect chains tracing the war's long shadow on history.
War crimes, massacres, and the darkest chapters of this conflict — documented for history.
The Korean War was an internationalized civil war rooted in Korea’s liberation from Japanese empire, division by Soviet and U.S. occupiers, rival state-building, and violent conflict before 1950. North Korea’s invasion of the South in June 1950 triggered a United Nations Command dominated by the United States; its advance toward the Yalu brought large-scale Chinese intervention, while the Soviet Union supplied the North. Armies and governments on all sides committed atrocities, and U.S.-led bombing devastated North Korea. Front lines eventually stabilized near—not simply at—the 38th parallel. The July 1953 armistice stopped most fighting but no peace treaty followed, leaving a divided peninsula, millions dead or displaced, and separated families.
The Korean War was fought from 1950 to 1953.
The Korean War was fought between UN / South Korea and North Korea / China.
An estimated 3,200,000 people died in The Korean War, including roughly 1,200,000 military and 2,000,000 civilian deaths. Figures are scholarly estimates and vary by source.
Major engagements included Battle of the Pusan Perimeter, Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, Battle of Heartbreak Ridge, and Fall of Seoul (January 1951).