“For a brief moment in 1984, however, Panmunjom was the site of a renewed Korean War, when Matuzok’s defection caused North Korean soldiers to open fire and pursue him into South Korean territory. The U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) soldiers guarding “Freedom’s Frontier” demonstrated superior training and discipline by limiting the scope and duration of the firefight while preventing the North Korean soldiers from apprehending the defector. Their skill in doing so, however, enabled senior American and South Korean officials to downplay the significance of their actions and to delay recognition of their valor for nearly twenty years.”
“For a brief moment in 1984, however, Panmunjom was the site of a renewed Korean War, when Matuzok’s defection caused North Korean soldiers to open fire and pursue him into South Korean territory. The U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) soldiers guarding “Freedom’s Frontier” demonstrated superior training and discipline by limiting the scope and duration of the firefight while preventing the North Korean soldiers from apprehending the defector. Their skill in doing so, however, enabled senior American and South Korean officials to downplay the significance of their actions and to delay recognition of their valor for nearly twenty years.”
From: https://armyhistory.org/a-forty-minute-korean-war-the-soviet-defector-firefight-in-the-joint-security-area-panmunjom-korea-23-november-1984/