The Korean War was a conflict fought between North Korea (supported by the Soviet Union and China) and South Korea (supported by the United States and other Western powers) between 1950 and 1953. The war had its roots in the division of the Korean Peninsula into two separate countries at the end of World War II, and it was one of the first major armed conflicts of the Cold War. The war was marked by brutal fighting and massive casualties, and it had far-reaching consequences for the people of Korea, the region, and the world as a whole.