A truce is signed to end the Korean War
Signing of armistice on July 27, 1953, brought end to active fighting
After three years of hard and bitter war, Lester Pearson, then the president of the General Assembly of the United Nations, announced the good news from Korea — an armistice to end the fighting between the divided countries.
As we hear in the clip below, the armistice would be the first step toward peace and a "free, democratic, and united Korea."
Pearson, also secretary of state for external affairs in Canada, expressed gratitude to all those who had "defended the principles of the United Nations," in an effort to "save us from the destroying horror of another world war."
The truce led to the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the two Koreas, and it remains in place in 2018.
When North Korea invaded South Korea, Canada was one of 18 nations to volunteer troops. The first to be deployed was the 2nd battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, who went into battle in February of 1951.
CBC Television's Newsmagazine brought Canadians a glimpse of the daily routine of the Patricias, "somewhere in Korea" in July 1953. In spite of these being "the final days of war," the preparation for action carried on.
And as the signature on the truce did not lead to the immediate withdrawal of the UN troops, Newsmagazine told the story of the men stationed "behind the white tape, beyond the lines of the demilitarized zone " in this Dec. 20, 1953 report.
In all, Canada sent more than 26,000 troops to aid in the war effort, continuing to serve there after the armistice until 1957, when the remaining 7,000 troops returned home. There were 516 Canadian lives lost during the conflict.