The primary combatants in the Korean War (1950-1953) were North Korea and South Korea, with significant involvement from their respective allies. North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, aimed to unify the Korean Peninsula under a communist government. Conversely, South Korea received military assistance from the United Nations, primarily the United States, which intervened to counter North Korean aggression. The war resulted in a stalemate and an armistice in 1953, leading to the continued division of Korea along the 38th parallel and establishing a heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that persists today.