Which 1953 agreement ended the Korean War’s active fighting without a formal peace treaty?

The Korean Armistice Agreement ended the Korean War’s active fighting in 1953 without creating a formal peace treaty.

Representatives of North Korea, China and the United Nations Command signed the agreement at Panmunjom on 27 July 1953. South Korea did not sign it. The document established a ceasefire, arranged the exchange of prisoners and created the Korean Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, near the fighting line.

The war had begun in June 1950 when North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. United Nations forces supported South Korea, while China entered the conflict on North Korea’s side. The front eventually stabilized near the original division, but the war’s political conflict remained unresolved.

An armistice suspends hostilities; it is not the same as a peace treaty. Because no comprehensive peace treaty replaced the armistice, the Korean Peninsula technically remains in a state of war, although large-scale fighting stopped in 1953.