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Today, June 25th, marks SIXTY EIGHT years since the start of the Korean War. The conflict left more than two-million civilians dead or wounded.... and a country divided.Taking a look back at the war on this anniversary is our Ko Roon-hee. After Japan's defeat in World War II, the Korean Peninsula was liberated from colonial rule. But that didn't mean a free and independent Korean state.The Soviet Union occupied the north of the country and the U.S. took the south,... dividing Korea along the 38th parallel.In 1948, the South and North formed governments that were ideologically opposed, and each rejected the legitimacy of the other. On June 25th, 1950, the North Korean army invaded South Korea with Soviet tanks, marking the start of the Korean War.A few months later, the North had conquered nearly all of the South, including its capital, Seoul. To South Korea's defense came the United Nations, with the United States as the principal force.This is because they saw in the North's attack the growing threat of communism.In September 1950, General Douglas MacArthur, Commander in Chief of UN Forces, successfully carried out the Incheon Landing Operation… recapturing Seoul in two weeks.But without warning, communist China sent in massive numbers of troops to help North Korea. The fighting finally came to an end with an armistice agreement in July 1953,... and the two Koreas remain separated to this day. Estimates vary, but a report by South Korea's defense ministry suggests the conflict resulted in the deaths of more than 130-thousand South Korean troops, and nearly 38-thousand fighting under UN Command, the vast majority of them Americans.Earlier this month, South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke at a ceremony for the country's 63rd Memorial Day, and laid out the government's plan to honor those soldiers and their sacrifices. "The Republic of Korea will excavate the remains of every single soldier and police officer who died during the Korean War. If inter-Korean relations improve, we will first and foremost work on the recovery of remains in the Demilitarized Zone." For the anniversary of the start of the war, today, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is holding a ceremony... to honor those who defended the Republic of Korea.Around a thousand South Korean veterans and around a hundred UN veterans are expected to be attending.Ko Roon-hee, Arirang News.