Book Description

The Korean War was a war between North Korea (with the support of China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (withthe principal support of the United States). The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea following a series of clashes along the border. The United Nations, with the United States as the principal force, came to the aid of South Korea. China came to the aid of North Korea and the Soviet Union also gave some assistance to the North.The Korean Armistice Agreement is the armistice which serves to ensure a complete cessation of hostilities of the Korean War. It was signed by U.S. Army Lieutenant General William Harrison, Jr. representing the United Nations Command (UNC), North Korean General Nam Il representing the Korean People's Army (KPA), and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA). The armistice was signed on July 27, 1953, and was designed to "ensure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved." No "final peaceful settlement" has been achieved. The signed armistice established the Korean Demilitarized Zone (de facto a new border between the two nations), put into force acease-fire and finalized repatriation of prisoners of war. The Demilitarized Zone runs not far from the 38th parallel, which separated North and South Korea before the Korean War. The Korean War Armistice Agreement (KWAA) was signed on 27 July 1953 between the military commanders of the United Nations Command (UNC), the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (CPVA), and the Korean People's Army (KPA) of the Democratic People's of Republic of Korea (DPRK). Under the provisions of the KWAA, five Northwest Islands are specifically designated to remain under the control of the Commander-in-Chief, UNC. Because of the islands' unique strategic location, the surrounding area of the five islands became one of the primary potential sources of conflict between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the DPRK.