The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953 at Panmunjom on the 38th Parallel. Over half of the deaths in the Korean War were of civilians (3-4 million).
The Korean War resulted in a higher death rate among civilians than in the Second World War. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was established in the agreement. It forms the border between North and South Korea. The DMZ incorporates territory on both sides of the ceasefire line position from the end of the Korean War. It is 250 km long and 4 km wide (TVO, 2024). The DMZ was created from moving back the respective forces 2 km from both sides of the line (Millett, 2025). The armistice left Korea divided, as it had been in 1950 at the start of hostilities, and remains to this day. A permanent peace treaty was never signed.
