The Korean Joint Security Area: anything but secure

April 7, 2017
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The tensions were high as we were about to enter the Joint Security Area of the Korean De-Militarised Zone.

“If anyone has weapons, knives or confetti poppers, please tell me now” boomed the US Army soldier during the safety briefing. Confetti poppers? You just know that with a specific warning like that, someone must have set off a few across the border.

 

A map of the JSA. Red = North Korea. Blue = South Korea / UN Buildings

What is the Joint Security Area?

The Joint Security Area is a zone in Korean DMZ where negotiations take place between opposing forces. After the signing of the cease-fire, the forces of each side had free movement within the JSA.

The JSA has been home to some strange and tragic events.

During early negotiations, the North Koreans secretly sawed down the legs of the United Nations representatives’ chairs, so they would be sitting lower at the negotiating table.

 

 

At another point during the negotiations, the UN representatives placed a small UN flag on the table. The following day the North Koreans brought a slightly larger North Korean flag. The UN responded with a larger flag. Eventually, special negotiations commenced about the size of the flags, because they had become too big to fit inside the negotiating buildings. A compromise was finally reached: the UN flag was slightly longer and the North Korean flag being slightly wider.

In August 1976, North Korean guards murdered two UN soldiers who were attempting to trim a tree in the JSA. Ever since neither side has free movement inside the JSA, instead, they face each other across a dividing line.

The UN Flag – still slightly longer than the North Korean one.

The concrete block marks the dividing line between North and South Korea in the JSA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The briefing

The waiver visitors to the JSA must sign.

Following the confetti popper question, the US soldier’s next question was “Does anyone here intend to defect to North Korea?” A strange question, but in November 1984, a Soviet citizen bolted across the border from the North Korean side. North Korean soldiers pursued him into the South, trying to kill him. A fire-fight ensued and 4 people died.

No-one from my tour group seemed interested in defecting to the glorious North on this occasion.

Then there was the small matter of signing a waiver that in part read “The visit to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom will entail the entrance into a hostile area and the possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action.” A waiver like that is always a nice way to start a tour.

 

Into the JSA

The bus ride into no-man’s land was brief. The roads were empty and the sweeping landscape was only disturbed by the semi-camouflaged observation posts.

The bus drove into a wooded area and suddenly we were in the JSA. The layout of the area is two large buildings facing each other and about 100 metres apart. If the outcome of the war was to be decided purely on which building looked better, the South has clearly won. The North has gone with an ‘aging bunker’ look, with two 1990s’ style CCTV cameras. It is called the ‘Panmungak’.

The South’s architects opted for a modern, spacious building and it is armed with more modern cameras than a 3D film studio. Then they gave it a flashy name: Freedom House.

South Korea’s stylish Freedom House

North Korea’s Panmungak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During my visit, the North had a sole guard staring at us. He was a bit like a pot-plant – he didn’t move and wasn’t very interesting, but I guess he added something to the atmosphere.

The South Korean soldiers, however, have taken intimidation to a whole new level. They wear very dark glasses, stand in an imposing stance, and are specially selected because of their height (recruits must be over 170cm tall) and their taekwondo skills (they must be black-belts).

 

 

The blue houses

In the middle are four blue houses which used for negotiations. These houses are positioned over the dividing line – half of each house in the South and half in the North. There is a door on each side. Neither side is locked.

Being inside the blue houses is entertaining. I was able to technically visit North Korea by walking past the mid-way point. But as our military escort made clear, the two South Korean soldiers guarding the door into North Korea were under orders to subdue anyone who made a run for it.

South Korean soldiers blocking my defection to the North.

The blue negotiation houses sitting across the border.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As quickly as we entered the JSA, we were whisked away. It was obvious that our escorts did not want to hang around too long. With a history like that of the JSA, no one could blame them.

 

A weird place

The JSA is a unique and weird tourist attraction. Even just its name – there is nothing ‘joint’ or ‘secure’ about this area. Standing at the epicentre of this conflict is both thrilling and strange. Until it can be resolved, opposing forces spend each day on edge, face to face, wondering whether the next incident will be sparked by a confetti popper or a presidential tweet.

South Korea