the demiliterized zone
a tour guide talks in the joint security area (JSA) – the only place in the dmz where north and south connect. north korea in the background
a couple of nk soldiers march by
south korean soldiers standing watch on north korea
south korean soldier in the modified judo stance. all sk watch standers in view of nk stand this way, wearing rayban aviators as a means of intimidation.
standing watch on the military demarcation line (dml)
the axe murder incident in august 1976 involved the attempted trimming of a poplar tree which resulted in the death of two american soldiers and operation paul bunyan. the poplar tree obstructed the view of north korea from one of the south korean observation towers. operation paul bunyan – the chopping down completely of the tree – involved air, sea and land support. before this time, the soldiers of both sides were permitted to go back and forth across the MDL inside of the JSA, a privilege since revoked as a result of this incident. This is the site of the poplar tree – now a memorial to the american soldiers killed in the axe murder incident. war is madness
the north korean’s kept an eye on us the entire time. there are probably photos of my face sitting in some manilla envelope on a north korean officer’s desk. this particular guy was watching with binoculars the entire time we were in this part of the JSA
another view in the JSA
south korean soldier on watch
looking out over communist north. from here you could see the massive flags each side flies (the north korean flag poll is the tallest in the world), freedom village nad propganda village – the only two residential areas residing in the MDL and “freedom bridge,” given its name following the signing of the armistice when north and south korean prisoners were allowed to return home.
liberty boat ride back to the good ship blue ridge following the DMZ tour
