In 1948, the Korean Peninsula was divided in two along the 38th parallel, establishing a Soviet-backed communist government in the north and an American-backed democratic government in the south. On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces violated that boundary line, pushing past it as they headed to Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The United Nations Security Council, led by the United States in its war against communism, condemned the attack on South Korea as a violation of peace. Under the strong suggestion of the United States, the United Nations agreed to send troops to support South Korea, acting as a quasi-police force. The conflict lasted three years, from 1950 to 1953, at the expense of millions of casualties of both soldiers and civilians.