Panmunjeom (P'anmunjŏm) in Gyeonggi province is a village on the border between North and South Korea, where the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War was signed. The building where the armistice was signed still stands, though it is on the northern side of the Military Demarcation Line, which runs through the middle of the Demilitarized Zone. It is considered one of the last vestiges of the Cold War. Currently, discussions between North and South happen in the blue buildings which straddle the Military Demarcation Line.

Location

The village is 48 kilometres northwest of Seoul and 10 kilometres east of Kaesong and is the headquarters of the Military Armistice Commission .

Incidents

Being at the centre of one of the world's most tense military and political fault lines, Panmunjeom has been the location of numerous high profile incidents.

• In August 18, 1976, North Korean guards attacked a United Nations Command work party with an ax, killing two American officers. The officers were trying to chop down a part of a tree in the DMZ that had obscured the view from one of the guardposts.

• In December 23, 1968, the crew of the captured U.S.S. Pueblo crossed through the village via the so-called 'bridge of no return' when they were returned to American forces after exactly 11 months in custody.

• A number of defections have taken place over the years.

• Several tunnels underneath the vicinity of the village, allegedly built by the North Koreans for use in a surprise attack, were discovered in the 1970s.

See also

• Korean reunification
• List of Korea-related topics

External links

• Travel in Korea: Panmunjeom information about the village and its history.