The bloody past of ‘Truce Village’ Panmunjom dubbed the ‘tensest place on earth’ and where Korean peace talks started today
The eyes of the world will focus on the tiny village inside the narrow demilitarised zone separating North and South Korea
TODAY the eyes of the world will focus on a tiny village inside the narrow demilitarised zone which separates North and South Korea.
Leaders from the two "warring" nations met for historic peace talks which could determine whether or not World War Three will break out on the Korean peninsula.
Fatal defections
Not surprisingly, Panmunjom has earned the title the "tensest place on the planet" and it has a bloody history that wouldn't look out of place in a Hollywood action movie.
Ever since the armistice was signed in 1953 to pause the Korean War, there have been thousands of defections from both nations - many of which have ended in death.
Although the number of people defecting from North Korea has dropped steadily over the past five years, just weeks ago one soldier was gunned down as he made a bid for freedom.
The 24-year-old soldier, only known as Oh, bolted from a guard post at the northern side of Panmunjom to the southern side of the village.
He was shot around five times by fellow North Korean soldiers.
Riddled with bullets, he was dragged to safety by South Korean soldiers and hovered close to death during the 25-minute airlift to hospital.
Unprovoked attack
In 1976, dozens of North Korean soldiers attacked outnumbered United Nations Command guards with axes and crowbars.
When the cold-blooded and apparently premeditated attack was over, two American officers lay dead and nine other United Nations Command personnel were injured.
The two murdered American officers, Captain Arthur G. Bonifas, 33, Newburgh, N.Y., and 1st Lieutenant Mark T. Barrett, 24, Columbia, S. C., died from massive head injuries and stab wounds.
The brutal unprovoked attack occurred in an area where free access and movement are guaranteed to personnel of both sides under the Armistice Agreement.
Then in 1984, A South Korean soldier was killed and a US soldier wounded in a shoot-out with North Koreans who were trying to stop Soviet citizens from defecting.
Three North Koreans were killed in that incident.
Soviet 'tourist'
The ‘Truce Village’, otherwise known as the Joint Security Area (JSA) of Panmunjom, can be visited from both North and South Korea with both countries offering up a very different tourist experience.
However, when a Soviet "tourist" tried to cross the border on a tour originating on the north side, he broke free from the group and tried to run across the border.
North Korean guards, in an attempt to bring him back, ended up crossing the line themselves. South Korean soldiers, seeing the North Koreans crossing the line, open fired.
Several North Koreans were killed along with a handful of South Koreans who were shot in response. The Soviet tourist, though, made it across the line safely.
Guarded zone
The DMZ is now guarded on both sides by hundreds of thousands of combat-ready troops, razor wire fences and more than a MILLION MINES.
The area is now one of the most heavily militarised zones on the planet.
It's a place where tit-for-tat "battles" break out seemingly on a daily basis.
When the North erected a flag just outside the borderline the South decided to set up there own flag but build it taller.
In response, though, the North Koreans extending the height of their flagpole.
So now there’s one flag on the south side that’s 100 meters high and another on the north side that’s 160 meters high.
Both sides also use sound as a way to to taunt each other.
Spaghetti West-un
Last year, South Korea blasted a Spaghetti Western tune from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly across DMZ to mock Kim Jong-un's troops.
In response, the North are known to play long-winded speeches from their 'Glorious Leader' from their sound systems.
Along the one and only road that connects North and South Korea, the South built what looks like white overpasses with massive pillars.
They’re actually blocks off cement rigged with explosives and remote detonators.
If the North tries to invade, the South can blow the structures to delay North Koreans trucks and tanks for a crucial few extra minutes.
Inside the village is a building called the ‘Peace House’ where today officials from both sides sat down face-to-face for the first time in years.
The meeting came just a week after the North Korean leader suggested the two nations should open a dialogue to ease military tensions.
Last week, the promise of tensions easing between the two nations started to look up as North Korea restored a dedicated telephone hotline to South Korea.
It had been down for more than two years.
Kim's team today suggested sending a team to next month’s Winter Olympics would be a “good opportunity to show unity of the people”.
Critics forecast North Korea’s participation in Pyeongchang 2018 will bring on a period of lessened tensions between the two nations.
However, they also warned hostilities are likely to return once the Games are over because the North has no intentions of abandoning its weapons programs and the United States will not ease its pressure on the country.
MOST READ IN WORLD NEWS
There’s a big difference in how each nation cares for their tourists visiting the DMZ.
On the South Korean side, visitors must sign a document which states in part: “The visit to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom will entail entry into a hostile area and possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action.”
On the North Korean side, there’s a place where visitors can buy souvenirs and where vendors sell trinkets and key chains.
Tourists can also grab some North Korean alcohol - of the ginseng or snake bile variation.
There’s also a place where tourists can play golf, a course with one hole dubbed the “most dangerous golf course in the world”.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.