The Korean conflict is an ongoing conflict based on the division of Korea between North Korea and South Korea, both of which claim to be the sole legitimate government of all of Korea. During the Cold War, North Korea was backed by the Soviet Union, China, and other allies, while South Korea was backed by the United States and its Western allies.
The division of Korea by the United States and the Soviet Union occurred in 1945. Both superpowers created a government in their own image. Tensions erupted into the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953. When the war ended, both countries were devastated, with the utter destruction of much of the countries, but the division remained. North and South Korea continued a military standoff, with periodic clashes. The conflict survived the end of the Cold War and continues to this day.
The US maintains a military presence in the South to assist South Korea in accordance with the ROK–US Mutual Defense Treaty. In 1997, US President Bill Clinton described the division of Korea as the "Cold War's last divide". In 2002, US President George W. Bush described North Korea as a member of an "axis of evil".