North and South Korea have been separated by the Korean Demilitarized Zone for nearly 65 years.
KPRC anchor Jacob Rascon and photographer Byron Nichols were granted access to the DMZ, including the Joint Security Area where the North and South negotiate.
The DMZ was established as part of the Korean Armistice agreement (between China, North Korea and the United Nations) in July 1953 after three years of war, and divides the Korean Peninsula roughly in half. It is about 160 miles long and 2.5 mile wide.
The armistice was supposed to be a temporary truce, and called for a permanent peace treaty. Repeated attempts at peace talks over the years have failed, and the North and South are, technically, still at war.
The United Nations acted on behalf of South Korea in the Armistice Agreement and continued to enforce the agreement and direct the South Korean portion of the DMZ until 1994, when full operational control was given to South Korea.
The east end of the DMZ is just 50 miles north of the Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games mountain venues.
The Joint Security Area, where the North and South negotiate, is located on the west end of the DMZ, just 35 miles north of Seoul. This is the most recognizable portion of the DMZ, where soldiers from both sides are often on patrol feet away from each other. Negotiations are rare, but in January 2017, North and South Korean officials negotiated a United Korean Olympic delegation.
North and South Korean soldiers initially moved freely within the JSA. Following a deadly attack shortly after the Armistice agreement, a Military Demarcation Line was established. There are several small blue “freedom” houses in the middle of the JSA plaza. Inside those houses are wooden tables with microphones, which act as the MDL, or border.
The Armistice agreement allowed one village within the DMZ on both sides. The North Korean village is known in the south as “propaganda village.” It was built to appear impressive and prosperous and busy. But it was all for show. Nobody lives there, it is believed, except construction workers who keep up the facade.
The Southern DMZ village is called “freedom village,” and is occupied by farmers, many of whom are descendants of the original Korean War-era farmers. Villagers are expected to abide by a strict curfew, staying inside and locking doors and windows by nightfall.
At the Joint Security Area, South Korean soldiers always face north. North Korean soldiers usually face north as well, as a sign of disrespect, and also to watch for defectors.
Physical conflict at the DMZ is rare, but there have been many deadly clashes and other incidents over the decades. Most recently, in November 2017, a North Korean soldier defected, crashing his Jeep inside the JSA, and running to the South Korean side. He was shot five times, and is still recovering at the hospital.
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