The Joint Security Area, or Truce Village, is the nickname given to Panmunjom, a former village destroyed during the war that is 53 kilometers from Seoul. It marks the spot along the 151-mile (243-kilometer) border between North and South Korea, and is the only area between the two countries that the United States still considers a combat zone. The border area strip, which is 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) wide, is patrolled by military forces on both sides. More than 1,000 North and South Koreans have been killed in this area since fighting “ended” in 1953.