both the north and the south remained heavily dependent on their sponsor states from 1948 to the outbreak of the korean war. the conflict claimed over three million lives and divided the korean peninsula along ideological lines. on june 25, 1950, a soviet-sponsored dprk invasion crossed the 38th parallel. the conflict ended three years later. international troops had been deployed and pushed the frontline back to near the 38th parallel. in the ceasefire of july 27, 1953, the dmz was created. each side agreed in the armistice to move their troops back from the front line, creating a buffer zone wide. the military demarcation line (mdl) goes down the center of the dmz and indicates exactly where the front was when the agreement was signed.