The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953 between North Korea and South Korea. With support from China and the Soviet Union, North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950. The United States and UN forces joined the war on South Korea's side. Over two million lives were lost in total during the conflict. The war ended in 1953 with an armistice that split Korea along the original border at the 38th parallel, but no peace treaty was ever signed.