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The beginning of the war
The war had started as the North Koreans, along with their Chinese allies, invaded South Korea. The North claimed that they were launching a preemptive strike against the South, but there is no indication that that was the case. The attack was launched in the dawn of June 25th, 1950. Around 231,000 North Korean soldiers crossed the border. Thousands of citizens had to flee their homes and turn south, carrying only what they can with them.
As a result of the well-organized attack, North Korea was successful at the invasion and surprised the South, attacking a number of key places such as Kaesong, Chuncheon, Uijeongbu and Ongjin. The war raged on as the North Korean Air Force bombed major cities in the South, and heavy damages were inflicted upon them. Many South Koreans defected and others were in full retreat. This all changed when the US and other countries joined the war in favor of South Korea, with the UN's approval. The US declared that Korea is a good place to stop the communist expansion.
The US then joined the war, but at first the North Koreans continued to advance south until the US and South Korea were driven to a small area in the southeastern peninsula, around the city of Pusan. The US kept on sending forces there and would periodically bomb supply places and infrastructures of the enemy, as the war escalated. Eventually, the tides have turned and the US and South Koreans started winning battles, pushing the North Koreans to the North and finally invaded the North. However, this all changed when the Chinese forces entered the war. They launched attack after attack and over time got the upper hand, driving the US and the South Koreans back south. Later on, a series of attacks slowly drove the communist forces back north.
A stalemate was achieved in July 1951 and maintained until July 1953, with little territory changes. Finally, a cease-fire was obtained and the area around the border became demilitarized. A while later the North Koreans and Americans signed and Armistice Agreement and from that point on there was relative peace in the area ("Korean War", 2009).
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