Korean War Armistice
An armistice was signed ending active fighting in the Korean War
July 27, 1953
Three Years of War, No Clear Winner
The Korean War armistice was signed on July 27, 1953, at Panmunjom, a village on the border between North and South Korea. The agreement ended over three years of brutal fighting that had begun when North Korea invaded the South on June 25, 1950. The armistice was not a peace treaty. It was a military ceasefire agreement that established a demilitarized zone, or DMZ, roughly along the 38th parallel, close to where the war had begun. The fighting had cost an estimated 36,000 American lives, 137,000 South Korean military deaths, hundreds of thousands of North Korean and Chinese casualties, and enormous civilian losses on both sides. No peace treaty has ever been signed.
Two Years of Stalled Negotiations
Armistice negotiations began in July 1951, more than two years before an agreement was reached. The main sticking points were the location of the ceasefire line and, most bitterly, the repatriation of prisoners of war. North Korea and China insisted that all prisoners be returned to their home countries. The United States and South Korea insisted that prisoners who did not wish to return should not be forced to. Tens of thousands of North Korean and Chinese prisoners said they did not want to go home. Fighting continued throughout the negotiations, causing enormous casualties on both sides simply to gain or hold small pieces of ground while diplomats argued.
An Armistice, Not a Peace
The agreement that ended the fighting was signed by military commanders representing the UN Command, North Korea, and China. South Korean President Syngman Rhee refused to sign, as he wanted the war to continue until Korea was unified under his government. The prisoner repatriation issue was resolved by allowing prisoners to choose whether to return home. About 22,000 Chinese and North Korean prisoners chose not to be repatriated, most going to Taiwan. The Korean DMZ, four kilometers wide and approximately 250 kilometers long, remains one of the most heavily militarized borders in the world. The two Koreas remain technically at war, with the 1953 armistice still holding after more than seven decades.