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The Korean War armistice signed at Panmunjom on July 27, 1953, ended three years
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July 27

Korean War Ends: Armistice Signed at Panmunjom

The Korean War armistice signed at Panmunjom on July 27, 1953, ended three years of fighting that killed roughly 2.5 million civilians, 600,000 Chinese soldiers, 400,000 North Korean soldiers, 36,000 Americans, and unknown tens of thousands of South Koreans. The agreement established a 2.5-mile-wide demilitarized zone along the 38th parallel that remains the most heavily fortified border on Earth. South Korean President Syngman Rhee refused to sign because he wanted to continue fighting to unify the peninsula. No peace treaty was ever concluded. The Korean War technically never ended, and its frozen front line has defined the geopolitics of East Asia for over seven decades.

July 27, 1953

73 years ago

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