espite intense fighting, the front largely remained stabilized near that parallel until the armistice of July 27, 1953. The war itself, which was accompanied by heavy casualties and atrocities committed by both sides, mostly by Koreans against Koreans, deepened antagonisms. According to Oberdorfer (2001), Chinese killed or wounded were about 900,000, North Koreans 520,000 and United Nations forces 400,000, two thirds of whom were ROK. Thirty six thousand, four hundred Americans died. Three million civilians were casualties. Five million more became refugees (pp. 9-10).
1953-1970. After its huge losses during the Korean War, China remained indifferent to Kim Il Sung's continued interest in taking over South Korea. Nor did the Soviet Union after Josef Stalin's death in 1953 support his revanchism. North Korea built a totalitarian state in which no political dissent was permitted. Kim Il Sung sought to instill the spirit of juche --extreme self-reliance. Harrison said juche "emphasizes the importance of coop
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