How did Chinese support affect the Korean War?

Chinese intervention significantly altered the course of the Korean War, transforming it from a conflict primarily between North and South Korea into a broader international struggle.1

Following the Incheon landing and the subsequent advance of United Nations Command (UNC) forces toward the Yalu River, Mao Zedong ordered the Chinese People’s Volunteers Force (CPVF) into Korea. Under the command of Peng Dehuai, Chinese forces launched massive offensives that utilized night attacks, infiltration, and the cutting of supply lines to overwhelm UNC troops, forcing them to retreat from North Korea and eventually re-evacuate Seoul in early 1951.23

Chinese support was critical to the survival of the North Korean regime, as Mao aimed to unify the peninsula under communist control. The conflict eventually settled into a stalemate near the 38th parallel, characterized by intense trench warfare and attrition, until the armistice was signed in 1953.124