The Korean War emerged from the artificial division of Korea along the 38th Parallel, a geopolitical construct imposed by external powers without Korean consultation. The conflict began when North Korean forces crossed the parallel in June 1950, but the war's origins lie in the earlier suppression of indigenous people's committees and the establishment of authoritarian regimes on both sides. The United States, operating under UN authorization, pursued a destructive bombing campaign that systematically demolished nearly all of North Korea's infrastructure and urban centres. This scorched-earth approach included widespread use of napalm against civilian populations and resulted in approximately one million Korean civilian deaths. The war served to cement Cold War divisions in Asia while preventing the emergence of a unified, independent Korea. The armistice agreement created a permanent state of militarized tension that continues to justify massive military expenditures and authoritarian measures on both sides of the DMZ.

massacres, and starvation, systematic destruction of North Korean cities and infrastructure through aerial bombardment, US forces' destruction of irrigation dams causing catastrophic flooding of agricultural land