The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 and ended on July 27, 1953. Although the primary combatants were North and South Korea, the Korean War also became a sort of war of political philosophies as the United States and the People's Republic of China/Soviet Union joined the fighting in an effort to promote their particular forms of government on the Korean peninsula. The War resulted in a stalemate, with the peninsula permanently divided between North and South Korea. Counting civilians and combatants from intervening nations, more than 2 Million people were killed in the Korean War.