After about three years, the Korean War finally came to an end. On July 27 , 1953 the United Nations, North Korea, and China signed an armistice agreement. South Korea refused to sign the treaty, but the fighting ended anyway. The armistice kept the division of Korea at the 38th parallel, but included a four-kilometer wide zone where weapons and troops were not allowed. This is called the "demilitarized zone", or D.M.Z.

The Korean War was considered one of the most destructive wars in the twentieth-century. During this war many lives were lost, about four million Koreans died in these battles. One million Chinese, 36,934 Americans, and 3,322 from the United Nations also were killed in this war. The country of Korea was left torn because of the damage it had gone through.

The war affected many other countries.The Japanese economy was boosted. Much of the material used in the war was bought from Japan since it was an economically stable neighboring country. Something similar happened with the American economy. Defense spending in the United States quadrupled in the last six months of 1950. This helped establish America's military bases around the world.

Many say the Korean War had no purpose. North and South Korea still remain divided and have been for almost five decades. Since there has been no peace treaty signed, technically North and South Korea are still at war.