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These photos of the border between North and South Korea show just how disastrous a nuclear strike could be

The world fears of a potential North Korean nuclear strike.

A visitor uses binoculars to see the North Korea side from the unification observatory in Paju, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017.

Kim Jong-Un, North Korea's ruler, responded to Trump's threats of "fire and fury" by threatening to strike at US military bases in Guam, and tensions are running high between the two nuclear powers.

But there's a group of people people who would be much more affected by any escalation between Jong-un and the US — those who live along the 150-mile strip of land dividing North and South Korea, known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

A top US military general said that an all-out war with North Korea would be "horrific," but allowing the insular state to develop a nuclear weapon capable of striking the US would be "unimaginable."

Here are the latest photos of life on the fraught border between North and South Korea:

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The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is the stretch of land that divides North Korea from South Korea. It was established at the end of World War II and runs for roughly 150 miles.

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Even though barbed wire fences, listening posts, and armed guards make the North Korean border one of the most militarized in the world, it's only 2.5 miles wide — which puts it within easy viewing distance of the other side.

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Tourists flock to South Korean border towns to see North Korea from a distance.

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Source: Associated Press

People live on both the North and South Korean sides of the DMZ. Both areas have civilian houses alongside military outposts.

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And though the border between the two Koreas may seem arbitrary, crossing the DMZ safely is near impossible.

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With both sides patrolled by soldiers at all times, North Korean guards are under orders to shoot at even the smallest sight of movement.

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The border has a meeting point for joint negotiations, though attacks have also taken place on both sides over the years.

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Here, you can see "The Bridge of No Return" — a bridge that has once been used to exchange prisoners between the two Koreas.

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Tourists can take highly structured tours to the DMZ — but they're advised not to wear ripped jeans so North Korea won't take photos to use for propaganda that Westerners can't afford good clothes.

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Small South Korean towns, some less than a mile from the border, would be first affected in the event of a nuclear strike.

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