Why the Korean War Armistice Still Matters
Sixty-five years later, it still shapes politics and diplomacy.
A good start.
Photograph: Corbis/Getty Images
The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed 65 years ago Friday, wrapping up negotiations that spanned 158 meetings over two years and 17 days — the longest negotiated armistice in modern history. Those protracted talks proved quite costly in human terms: During the negotiation period, United Nations forces suffered 140,000 casualties and the U.S. lost 8,000 soldiers.
Yet the resulting agreement has kept relative peace on the Korean peninsula for six decades, underpinned one of America’s most important alliances, and enabled South Korea’s remarkable rise to prosperity. It continues to shape the political and military situation in East Asia to a unique degree. Without an understanding of this armistice, current efforts to foster peace and unification on the Korean peninsula stand little chance.