Korean DMZ

[aclark79]

http://images.webster-dictionary.org/wiki/9/97/Korean_dmz_map.png

http://www.stripes.com/photoday/072703.jpg
Korean Demilitarized Zone, December 12, 1975: South Korean soldiers from the 6011th Regiment inspect part of the fence at the DMZ between North and South Korea.

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/51/3236/640/Korean%20DMZ.jpg

http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/000a4/000a4ff8.jpg
At Panmunjeom (P’anmunjŏm), the official diplomatic headquarters at the DMZ, North Korean guards, in brown, face their South Korean counterparts, in blue

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0307/379586764080974d38a8.jpeg

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0307/2d8064064c806b76cb34.jpeg

http://rescomp.stanford.edu/~stanj/Travel/Korea-97/images/img0038.jpg

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-07/17/xinsrc_44eb13b1d57046a5ae0834f349ec6ece.jpg

http://debrisson.free.fr/images/coree/mirador.jpg

http://image12.webshots.com/13/7/64/27/138376427nHfcEl_ph.jpg
North Koreans 'Spy' tower

http://members.terracom.net/~vfwpost/tunnel3.jpg
North Korean tunnel under the DMZ found near Panmunjom

http://members.terracom.net/~vfwpost/tree-chop.jpg
(North) Korean People's Army soldiers attack US Joint Security Force soldiers on a tree-trimming operation 18 August 1976 at Panmunjom.

http://johnhamill.tripod.com/koreamurder.jpg
On August 18, 1976, North Korean troops attacked a UN tree pruning party at Panmunjom. The area is a joint security area and both the North Koreans and UN could construct buildings. The NKs abused this and built guardhouses on the UN side in order to isolate the UN posts. The tree blocked the view between two UN posts and was seen as a danger. Capt. Bonifas and Lt. Barrett were bludgeoned to death with their own tools by communist soldiers.

http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Bolger/IMAGES/034.JPG
1963, communist infiltrators directed violence on U.S. and ROK troops, as witnessed by this ambushed jeep. US Command and General Staff College

http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Bolger/IMAGES/042.JPG
A U.S. Army freight train falls victim to saboteurs north of Seoul, Korea, 13 September 1967 US Command and General Staff College

http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Bolger/IMAGES/082.JPG
Helicopters from the 6th Combat Aviation Platoon, U.S. I Corps, sweep through a valley in search of North Korean saboteurs US Command and General Staff College

http://www.nyu.edu/globalbeat/jpg/americantroopskorea.jpg
U.S. troops on patrol near the Korean DMZ

http://rescomp.stanford.edu/~stanj/Travel/Korea-97/images/img0042.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/4/4658595_11867aa9be.jpg?v=0

http://brd3.chosun.com/bemil/files/BEMIL085/upload/DMZ1.jpg

http://brd3.chosun.com/bemil/files/BEMIL085/upload/DMZ2.jpg

http://img.news.yahoo.co.kr/picture/70/20041026/7020041026_12938379.jpg

http://img.news.yahoo.co.kr/picture/70/20041026/7020041026_12938922.jpg

http://www.ndu.edu/inss/Strategic%20Assessments/sa98/Ch16/PC1603.GIF
1998

[moonmonkey]

Great pictures, really interesting to see what goes on

[orko_8]

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0307/379586764080974d38a8.jpeg

His posture is very interesting, I think.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0307/2d8064064c806b76cb34.jpeg

In this photo, guards face against half of the wall. What may be the reason for this?

[FiveOneFive]

That's the stance most of the guards take up when people are present. Apparently its some stance to do with the martial arts they learn. Someone more clued up on the subject should be able to tell you.

[Hawaii_Light]

i forget its exact name, i think its called "ready easy"
named after its intimadating look but slightly relaxed and more balanced feeling then attention.

anyways i go back in March for a confrence, and will be getting the whole U.N tour. I can't wait!!!!!!

[Ratman]

Looks like he's holding back a turtle's head.

Great pictures; thanks. Farked up that story about the tree trimming party; will go look into it some more.

Cheers

[aclark79]

I belive that they are standing half way behind the building so that if the shooting starts they can get out of the line of fire quickly. It shows you the attitude they have towards the north, at least on the DMZ, that the fighitng could resume any time. I have heard from Army friends that they still have fire fights occasionally, though I don't know how true that is.

The last time a N. Korean tried to flee the guards killed him, they opened fire. Now they face into N. Korea in order to keep N. Koreans from running the gate.

[joka]

Do they speak the same language in South and North Korea? Do the guards ever exchange any words over the border? Tell jokes?

[Hawaii_Light]

no, actually North Korean is different, but they do know some of each language im sure.
and i think that for the most part they are not aloud to speak?

[ris6]

It is a tae-kwon-do agressive stance and its purpose is to look sharp and agressive towards others. It is official stance for all South korean guards attached to DMZ posts.

[MARINO]

Nice and interesting stuff. thanks you

[2RHPZ]

Nice and interesting stuff. thanks you

x2

I remember the memories of one of buddies, an US Apache pilot. He told me that it took a time to get used to the warning noise of machine in cockpit (sorry, I don´t know the exact term on English) while patroling DMZ because the US choppers were aimed at by NK SAMs all the way alongside DMZ.

[danmuzi]

Do they speak the same language in South and North Korea? Do the guards ever exchange any words over the border? Tell jokes?

Yes. It's same language.. just different accents(dialacts).
If I happen to speak to anyone from North Korea I would carry on a conversation fine.. with exception of few words.

Guards are not allowed to exchange words.

[Dalleer]

For the "tree cutting incident":

http://1stopkorea.com/images/nk-dmz-bonifas-ax.jpg


This is the 'military ax' the North took from a group of American soldiers attempting to cut down a tree in the DMZ in August, 1976. The incident gets a lot of attention on tours from both the North and South. The Americans were attacked and two killed by a group of North Korean soldiers who used the ax and club shown above to hack and beat the US soldiers to death. The Southern tour stresses the brutality of the North, the North stresses the 'illegality' of the tree-cutting.

[larryzou]

thinks lot to posting.

[Beppo]

By the way the guards are only posted like that (in dress uniform standing at combat-ready) at Panmunjom when there are tours going on, from both the North and the South. For years I was under the impression that they were like that 24/7, until I asked one of the US soldiers if they had to stand like that all day. He said, "Nah, they only come out when the tour groups arrive." What prompted me to ask was that I was on a tour of the DMZ and right before we got to Panmunjom we had to wait on the bus for like 10 minutes. The tour guide (US soldier) explained that the guard detail wasn't yet ready.

PS: I've been to the DMZ six times over the past several years. My dream vacation would be to visit Panmunjom from the *other* side, like this guy:

http://crowcroft.net/jpg/dprk1.jpg

[AFMedic]

The last time a N. Korean tried to flee the guards killed him, they opened fire. Now they face into N. Korea in order to keep N. Koreans from running the gate.Are these the N. Korean guards that killed the N. Korean escapees? And where are they in the photos? Behind the glass in the buildings in back? I was there at Kunsan AB and only was able to go North to Osan AB. How far was DMZ from there?

[aclark79]

Are these the N. Korean guards that killed the N. Korean escapees? And where are they in the photos? Behind the glass in the buildings in back? I was there at Kunsan AB and only was able to go North to Osan AB. How far was DMZ from there?


They are not, I couldn't find any pictures from that incident, and I don't know if there are any photos. Recently someone from China posted a great series of his tour through N. Korea, there are some good photos of the N.K. guards, with thier backs to the S. Koreans.

[kmg365]

no, actually North Korean is different, but they do know some of each language im sure.
and i think that for the most part they are not aloud to speak?

No, you are incorrect. North and South are political divisions. They speak the same language and have the same culture. There are some dialectical differences, but they are minor. The major difference is political and ideological, which is most unfortunate.

[kmg365]

Do they speak the same language in South and North Korea? Do the guards ever exchange any words over the border? Tell jokes?

Yes, Korean is the official language in both countries and can be mutually understood by both sides. They have the same alphabet and written form too. The only difference, as has been previously said, is minor differences in dialect. But in the south, there are several dialects too.

Do Korean troops talk to each other over the border? At Panmunjon, no, but in other sectors along the DMZ/MDL, yes they do, particularly at night time along GOP positions (General Observation Posts).

My ROK Army officer friends who've stationed along those positions, which are forward of the DMZ, tell me that ROK troops will exchange greetings and news with their Northern counteparts when stationed in GOP positions. Stuff like, "How's going up there?", "Did you have dinner?" Really inane stuff, but touching nevertheless, especially when you realize that these guys manning the fence on both sides of the line are really just 20something year-old boys.

[Beppo]

I was there at Kunsan AB and only was able to go North to Osan AB. How far was DMZ from there?According to GlobalSecurity.org, 48 miles from the border. How long were you there? Osan has MWR trips to the DMZ; during UFL (an annual joint ROK-US exercise) I took one of my trips to Panmunjom from there.

PS: One of the BEST, BADDEST-ASS movies I've EVER seen is a Korean movie called "JSA: Joint Security Area" (available on DVD with English subtitles), a movie about the DMZ; more specifically about four border guards (2 from the North, 2 from the South) who, after a chance encounter in which one saves the other one's life, get to know each other and secretly wind up becoming best friends despite outwardly having to constantly face each other on the battlefield as "enemies". There's a murder mystery thrown in there too, and the incidents leading up to it are revealed slowly over the course of the film; it's sort of like "A Few Good Men" meets "Memento". The studio even built a 9/10ths scale reproduction of the actual Panmunjom.
At the time of its release it was the highest-grossing film in Korean box office history. Check it out if you get a chance!
http://www.c7nema.net/canais/filmes/oldboy/jsa.jpg http://www.cine-east.com/catalog/images/jsa.jpg

[Resurrection]

Yes, Korean is the official language in both countries and can be mutually understood by both sides. They have the same alphabet and written form too. The only difference, as has been previously said, is minor differences in dialect. But in the south, there are several dialects too.

So kinda like the equivalent of the Scandinavian languages then? Hmm.. interesting, never knew that. Btw, great pics! :D

[sir-chimp]

I personally do not know much about the after war years. I know the North Koreans have run ops into South Korea, some of the pics showed their results. Is there any public knowledge of the US or South Korea running ops into North Korea in retaliation?

[gadzook]

I only know of North Korean operations into South Korea. They usually enter via submarine insertion or tunneling. In the past, even a few years ago it was a fairly regular event to have North Korean sappers destroy South Korean infrastructure.

The ROK soldiers that guard the peace village are a special chosen group who are, by far, the tallest and largest Koreans you will ever see. They are all experts in martial arts.

I have been through the Peace Village 3 times. You enter a room in a building and are allowed to walk into North Korea by shuffling around a large conference table. I was wearing my US Army uniform on all 3 occasions and got quite a kick out of it.

I believe South Korean citizens are forbidden from taking the tour.

[AFMedic]

They are not, I couldn't find any pictures from that incident, and I don't know if there are any photos. Recently someone from China posted a great series of his tour through N. Korea, there are some good photos of the N.K. guards, with thier backs to the S. Koreans.

Thanks aclark79.


According to GlobalSecurity.org, 48 miles from the border. How long were you there? Osan has MWR trips to the DMZ; during UFL (an annual joint ROK-US exercise) I took one of my trips to Panmunjom from there.

PS: One of the BEST, BADDEST-ASS movies I've EVER seen is a Korean movie called "JSA: Joint Security Area" (available on DVD with English subtitles)

Beppo, my tour to S. Korea was a 1 year. I spent many hours driving up and down the S. Korea highways between Kunsan and Osan AB hospitals and never thought to go to the DMZ. I'm not sure why but probably had something to do with me not wanting to accidently driving the ambulance over the DMZ by accident. Wasn't there a helicopter crew that got lost in some fog and landed in the N. Korea side and was detained? Anyhow, thanks for the tip on the movie. I'll put it on my queue of things to watch.

[Resurrection]

I only know of North Korean operations into South Korea. They usually enter via submarine insertion or tunneling.

North Korea has submarines? Are these mini-subs or full size ones we're talking about?

[sir-chimp]

North Korea has submarines? Are these mini-subs or full size ones we're talking about?


I think they have both, but as far as I know they use the mini subs for infiltration. I also seem to recall they also had some kind of submersible speed boat looking thing a few years ago.

[AFMedic]

North Korea has submarines? Are these mini-subs or full size ones we're talking about?
I think they are minis.. 4 man crews? Something like that. Anyway here is an old article of S. Korea sinking one of them.. .



South Korea says it sinks North Korean submarine
One body found
December 17, 1998
Web posted at: 9:35 p.m. EST (0235 GMT)

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- A South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman confirmed that an exchange of gunfire took place when South Korean soldiers discovered a North Korean submarine off the coast at 11:15 p.m. Thursday (9:15 a.m. EST).

South Korean naval forces challenged the Northern submarine with warning shots approximately 2 kilometers off the southern port of Yosu.

According to the Defense Ministry in Seoul, the North Korean vessel ignored all warnings and tried to evade pursuit.

South Korean vessels continued to fire on the submarine, eventually sinking the 10-ton vessel early Friday approximately 100 kilometers off the South's Koje Island.

The body of one of the sub's crewmen was recovered in a wet suit, the ministry said.

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9812/17/korea.sub/

[xoNxCx]

I only know of North Korean operations into South Korea. They usually enter via submarine insertion or tunneling. In the past, even a few years ago it was a fairly regular event to have North Korean sappers destroy South Korean infrastructure.

The ROK soldiers that guard the peace village are a special chosen group who are, by far, the tallest and largest Koreans you will ever see. They are all experts in martial arts.

I have been through the Peace Village 3 times. You enter a room in a building and are allowed to walk into North Korea by shuffling around a large conference table. I was wearing my US Army uniform on all 3 occasions and got quite a kick out of it.

I believe South Korean citizens are forbidden from taking the tour.


Ahh... the Scout troops...
I think my uncle was part of that outfit a decade ago.
Can anyone help me identify his unit?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/nsdq_100393/scan0017a.jpg

[aclark79]

I think they have both, but as far as I know they use the mini subs for infiltration. I also seem to recall they also had some kind of submersible speed boat looking thing a few years ago.

They need some kind of boat for when they kidnap defenseless japanese women.

[ourkids]

Ahh... the Scout troops...
I think my uncle was part of that outfit a decade ago.
Can anyone help me identify his unit?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/nsdq_100393/scan0017a.jpg


I was serving to ROK Army 5years ago. It means that... I was a soldier of Korean regular army. I think he was in the Scout troops which is managing by each divisions. He looks like a Korean Special Force, but his divisions patch isn't Korean SF's stuffs.

[Lanton]

The sad thing is, for the families of those men serving with the front line military forces south of the DMZ, as well as the 1,024 DMZ Civil Police authorized by the Armistice who man 114 guard posts on the southern side of the MDL and the Americans and South Koreans assigned to the United Nations Command (UNC) Security Force-Joint Security Area (JSA), that if the balloon went up and the North Koreans swarmed across the border towards Seoul, they know that their loved-ones would likely either be killed or captured in the first hours or day of the war.