KOREAN WAR ARMISTICE AGREEMENT Meaning and
Definition
-
The Korean War Armistice Agreement refers to the agreement that was reached between the parties involved in the Korean War, namely the United Nations Command (UNC), representing the military forces supporting South Korea, and the Korean People's Army (KPA) and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA), representing North Korea and China, respectively. This agreement was signed on July 27, 1953, in Panmunjom, a village in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea.
The Korean War Armistice Agreement aimed to cease all hostilities and establish a framework to bring an end to the Korean War, which had begun on June 25, 1950. The agreement called for a ceasefire and the establishment of a Military Armistice Commission (MAC) to oversee the implementation and maintenance of the armistice terms. It also stipulated the creation of the DMZ and a permanent boundary between North and South Korea.
Crucially, the armistice agreement did not officially end the war or lead to a peace treaty. It merely provided a temporary halt to the fighting and allowed for the repatriation of prisoners of war. The lack of a formal peace treaty has resulted in the Korean Peninsula remaining technically at war to this day.
The Korean War Armistice Agreement is significant for its role in ending active large-scale hostilities, establishing a demilitarized zone, and creating a mechanism for communication and oversight between the two divided Koreas. Despite the absence of a final peace treaty, the agreement has largely succeeded in maintaining a fragile peace on the Korean Peninsula for the past decades.
