Number of military casualties during the Korean War 1950-1953
The unfinished war
The Korean War was the largest international war following the Second World War and one of the few conflicts that took place during the Cold War. The United Nations forces, largely composed of American troops, fought alongside South Korea, while Chinese and Soviet troops supported North Korea. The Korean War unofficially came to an end with an armistice. This was to be followed by a formal treaty to end the war, but this never happened. Officially, North and South Korea are still at war today.
Divided families
The Korean War resulted in millions of dead, missing, abducted, and refugee civilians. Over a million North Koreans fled south of the border. Many families were torn apart by the war. Following the 2000 inter-Korean summit, the two governments arranged for family reunions to be held in North Korea. North Korea would not permit the people to leave, so the family members in the south went to meet them. From 2000 to 2018, about 21 reunions have taken place in either South or North Korea. Most of the family members in South Korea are now in their 70s to 90s. Although there is strong agreement with the need to continue these reunions before the separate families age and pass away, this has not always been possible due to tensions between the two Koreas.