The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ; Hangul: 한반도 비무장지대; hanja: 韓半島非武裝地帶) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula; it was established at the end of the Korean War to serve as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ is a de facto border barrier, which runs in the vicinity of the 38th parallel north. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and the east end lying north of it.