Panmunjom

     You probably must have heard about Panmunjom. It is a place where Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, and it is considered one of the last vestiges of the Cold War. Now it is an abandoned village on the border between North and South Korea. It runs through the middle of the Demilitarized Zone. Panmunjom is still used for discussion between North and South or the United Nations Command. By North Korea, it has been renamed as the Peace Museum.

     Some of you might be confused with JSA (Joint Security Area) and Panmunjom. Actually, Panmunjom is the metonym of JSA. JSA is where South and North Korean forces stand face-to-face. 

     As we look back in the history, during Korean War, nations forces met North Korean and Chinese forces at Panmunjom for truce talks. The discussion was held for several months. The main point of the discussion was about the prisoners of war. They allowed the prisoners who refused to return to their countries to live under a neutral supervising commission for three months. At the end of this time, those who still refused repatriation would be released. Among those who refused repatriation were 22 Amercian and British POWs. 

     Truce doesn't mean it's end of the war. I would say Panmunjom is a tragic place where it divided Korea to half. When will South Koreans face North Koreans in face to face? When will the split families could get together? 

Reference:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panmunjom#Location

Photo Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Security_Area

DMZ

 The 38th parallel was created after the end of the Second World War when the U.S. and the Soviet Union divided the Korean Peninsula for their military stationing each in South and North Korea. Later, with the conclusion of an armistice formally ending the Korean War, this military line was transformed and hardened into today's Demilitarized Zone(DMZ).

 DMZ means many thing to us. It remind us of painful memory of Korean war which was unforgettable fratricidal tragedy making us solemnly. And it is ecologically important. Priceless resources are being preserved, and rare animals such as Nemorhaedus goral raddeanus(kind of sheep) live in there. So DMZ is like a big natural ecological park

 Many people think that Korean war was over. But it is not termination but ceasefire. There is still peril of recurrence. So we should achieve peace as soon as possible. It is for world peace and also for separated families. I hope that all people think of DMZ as a symbol of restoration of peace and a priceless heritage.

Reference : http://www.korea-dmz.com/en/s/scm_main_en.asp