When people think of provocations from North Korea most people today think that the deadliest incidents from the rogue regime have been targeted against South Korea. The largest loss of life from one provocation by North Korea was the sinking of the ROK Navy ship the Cheonan in 2010 that killed 46 personnel on the ship and wounded 56 more. What many people don’t realize is that the US military historically has been subject to many provocations from North Korea as well to include the 2nd deadliest attack, the shoot down of an EC-121 reconnaissance plane that killed all 31 men on board.
This deadly attack occurred on April 15, 1969 when the EC-121 which used the call sign “Deep Sea 129” was shot down in international waters 167 kilometers off the coast of North Korea. The EC-121 is an intelligence gathering platform that picks up radio transmissions in the area that it is conducting surveillance of. The mission of the Deep Sea 129 would not only be to pick up radio transmissions from North Korea, but from China and Russia as well. The military has conducted these flights on behalf of the National Security Agency (NSA) for many years.
The routine flight of the Deep Sea 129 began at 0700 local time when it took off from Atsugi, Japan. On board were 8 officers and 23 enlisted men under the command of LCDR James Overstreet. The plane first flew over Japan and then over the Sea of Japan. Once over the Sea of Japan the EC-121 flew in a clockwise ellipse as it collected signal intelligence from the region. LCDR Overstreet was given orders that his flight pattern would not go any further than 90 kilometers from North Korea. Radars at Osan Airbase in South Korea as well as back in Yokota Airbase in Japan tracked the missions progress as well as looking for any aircraft being dispatched from North Korea. At 12:34 local time radars at Osan Airbase detected that two MIG-17s had been launched by North Korea. At 13:00 Deep Sea 129 issued a routine report and everything seemed normal. At 13:22 the radars as Osan lost track of the two MIG-17s and reacquired them at 13:37. When the aircraft were reacquired it became obvious that the MIGs were dispatched to intercept the EC-121. At 13:44 Deep Sea 129 was alerted that they were being intercepted. At 13:47 the MIGs had reached the vicinity of Deep Sea 129 and then at 13:49 the EC-121 disappeared from the radar screen.
After the EC-121 disappeared from the radar screen the operators originally thought that it may have followed normal procedures and dropped to an altitude below radar coverage. This thought prevailed because the operators figured that if the MIGs were acting hostile to the EC-121 than LCDR Overstreet would have radioed something back to Japan. However, after 10 minutes had past and no radio transmission had been received from LCDR Overstreet, people began to fear the worst. Two US jets were dispatched from Japan to conduct a Combat Air Patrol of the area where the EC-121 had last been tracked. By 14:44 almost an hour after Deep Sea 129 was last tracked, the CAP planes could not find the EC-121 and the command in Japan decided to send an urgent message back to the Pentagon and the White House that they feared the EC-121 had been shot down.
The reactions from political leaders in Washington once the news was heard was initially very harsh. On Capitol Hill, Mendel Rivers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, proclaimed: ‘There can be only one answer for America-retaliation, retaliation, retaliation!’ Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. L Mendel Rivers, called for military retaliation against North Korea with “whatever is necessary. If nuclear weapons are required, let them have it. It’s time to give them what they ask for.”
As the political leadership back at the US reacted to the shoot down the military command back in Japan prepared a massive search and rescue effort to recover the plane and any survivors. The plane had life rafts the crew could have used if the plane crashed intact. The seas were not too rough and temperatures were in the 40s. So if the crew survived the crash they had a high chance of survival in the conditions if found quickly. The search was conducted by C-130s from Japan that were supported by a K-135 Stratotanker to provide fuel support. These search and rescue aircraft were further supported by CAP aircraft. In total 26 aircraft were used during the search and rescue operation. Besides the aircraft two American destroyers, the USS Dale and the USS Tucker reached the suspected crash site around 9PM. The Soviet Union would also dispatch two destroyers to search for survivors as well. The Soviets were probably eager to show the US they did not support the North Koreans actions by assisting with the search and rescue. The Soviet destroyer the Vdokhnovenie recovered pieces of the downed aircraft as well as the only two bodies found during the entire search effort. The bodies of LTJG Joseph R. Ribar and AT1 Richard E. Sweeney were turned over to the USS Tucker on April 17th. This ended the search and rescue operation and the bodies of the other 29 crew members were never recovered.
With the end of the search and rescue operation, US President Richard Nixon had to decide on what to do in response to North Korea’s deadly provocation. During this time period North Korea had even taken the rare step of bragging on their state radio station of shooting down the aircraft that they said was flying over their territorial waters. Despite calls for retaliation from various political figures Nixon decided to go with most other officials were recommending which was essentially to do nothing. With the war raging in Vietnam many US officials thought it was unwise to open up a possible second front war on the Korean peninsula. So he decided not to do anything provocative against the North Koreans such as bombing the airfield where the MIGs that shot down the EC-121 flew from. Instead he conducted a show of force by continuing the reconnaissance flights while backed with appropriate naval and Air Force support to protect them. This showed American resolve to the North Koreans while not creating a second war in Asia.
What I cannot understand is why the EC-121 was left without escort of some kind in the first place? The mission of the EC-121 was very similar to what the USS Pueblo ship was doing when it was fired upon and captured by the North Koreans in 1968. Considering that North Korea had shown previously an intent to target US reconnaissance efforts it seems surprising to me that the Pentagon was allowing the EC-121 flights off the coast of North Korea to continue with out a fighter escort or at least ships in the Sea of Japan that could provide better early warning of any potential North Korean fighters trying to intercept them.
Below is a list of all the lives that were lost by this act of North Korean aggression. Like all the other lives brought to an early end by the thugs and killers of the Kim regime in North Korea these men should not be forgotten:
Petty Officer 1st Class Eli Redstone rings the bell twice for each of the 31 U.S. troops killed on April 15, 1969, when North Korean fighters downed their EC-121 reconnaissance plane over the Sea of Japan. Wednesday’s ceremony marked the 40th anniversary of the attack. Matthew M. Bradley/Courtesy of the U.S. Navy
10 years ago, the 2002 West Sea Naval Battle, also known as the 2nd Battle of Yeonpyeong took place which at the time was an event that clearly showed the contradictions within South Korean society in regards to their perceptions of North Korea and the United States. Before getting into the political and social aspects of this battle, first let me recap what happened.
Replica of ROK Chamsuri 357 that fought in the 2nd Battle of Yeonpyeong.
On June 29, 2002, one day before the closing ceremony of the World Cup being held in Korea that year, the North Koreans likely tried to draw attention from away from all the glory South Korea had been receiving from their amazing World Cup performance that year by prevoking a naval battle in the West Sea. They did this by sending a patrol boat, the Yukto 388 across the disputed Northern Limit Line that demarcates the border between North and South Korea along the Yellow Sea. The ship crossed near Yeonpyeong Island which is the same island that the North Koreans launched an artillery attack against in 2010 that killed two ROK Marines as well as two civilians.
A South Korean naval vessel the Chamsuri 357 was sent to escort the North Korean ship back into North Korean waters shortly before 10 AM that day. A 2nd North Korean ship the Tungsangot 684 then crossed the NLL as well. Both North Koreans ship crossed 3-5 kilometers south of the NLL before being intercepted by the Chamsuri 357. Since a 2nd North Korean ship was spotted the Chamsuri 358 was dispatched to help as well. The two South Korean ships intercepted the North Korean ships and issued three warnings by radio to return across the NLL.
That is when the North Korean ship the Tungsangot began to open fire with its 85mm gun at about 450 meters away causing severe damage to the South Korean Chamsuri 357. In this initial attack five sailors on the Chamsuri 357 were killed to include the captain Lieutenant Yun Yong-ha. Despite heavy damage the crew of the Chamsuri 357 fired back and the Chamsuri 358 began to open fire as well on the two North Korean ships. As additional ROK Navy ships began to respond to the attack both North Korean ships retreated back across the NLL where the Tungsangot was seen burning heavily. The battle was over before 11:00 AM when ROK Naval authorities decided not to pursue the North Korean ships across the NLL in order to avoid escalating the conflict. The clash ultimately ended up costing the lives of six South Korean sailors with 18 more wounded.
It is believed that the North Koreans suffered 13 deaths and 25 wounded, but their two ships were both able to limp back into harbor while the Chamsuri would eventually sink while being towed away from the NLL. North Korean defectors would later provide details about the aftermath of the battle. In September of 2002 the gunner of the 85mm gun that made the deadly hit against the Chamsuri 357 was honored by the North Korean authorities as a “Hero of the Republic”. The North Korean sailor named Seo Ju Cheol was then allowed to visit his hometown where a big celebration was given in his honor.
There was also celebrating in South Korea after the battle as well, but it wasn’t for the sailors that bravely fought off the North Korean provocation. Instead the country largely ignored the battle in its euphoria of not only hosting a widely successful World Cup, but the fact that the South Korean team reached the tournament’s semi-finals sending nationalism in the country to an all-time high. In fact the ROK sailors would receive little recognition at all by the South Korean government. The Kim Dae-jung government at the time wanted to minimize what happened and keep the grieving families quiet because they did not want to upset their Sunshine Policy with North Korea, especially in a presidential election year in the ROK. Interestingly many of these same ROK politicians were busy encouraging or doing nothing about the anti-Americanism in the aftermath of the US Army Armored Vehicle Accident that tragically killed two South Korean teenagers two weeks before the naval clash. So basically the Korean government turned a blind eye to the premeditated murder of six ROK sailors while actively encouraging anti-Americanism against their long-time ally because of a tragic traffic accident.
In commemoration of the second anniversary of the West Sea naval battle, memorial services were held at the headquarters of the Navy’s 2nd Fleet in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday. Hwang Eun-tae, father of the late Petty Officer First Class Hwang Do-hyun, weeps while reading a letter in front of his son’s portrait.
Even more heartless was the the fact that the South Korean government sent no flag officers to attend a memorial ceremony or the President even offer any condolences to the families after the attack. USFK however did send representatives to the ceremony and USFK Commander General LaPorte offered the families his condolences. The memorial service was held on a ROK Navy base in order to minimize media access and prevent anti-North Korean activist groups from attending the memorial. One wife of a deceased sailor was so fed up with how the Korean government treated her, that she left Korea and went to the United States. This is what she said before boarding the plane:
“If the indifference and inhospitality shown to those soldiers who were killed or wounded protecting the nation continue, what soldier will lay down his life in the battlefield?”
Here’s a quote from one of the fathers of one of the murdered sailors that really struck a cord with me:
The father said, “My son is buried in the National Cemetery. But I’m going to take my son’s remains to my family burial site in my hometown.” Having watched the situation develop, he thought his son who was killed by North Korean soldiers was considered nothing more than a criminal.
Some parents said that they are more scared of people who consider the U.S. a bigger enemy than North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who killed their son. We lose courage to defend the country, when we hear that a wife whose husband fell in the battle is preparing to leave this country. Reading a condolence letter from the USFK commander to mark the second anniversary, the wife said, “The Americans remember my husband and his brothers-in-arms better than Koreans… Frankly, I hate Korea.” [Chosun Ilbo]
“Frankly, I hate Korea”, no those are not the words of a disgruntled American expat or GI saying that, that is a Korean woman who was so outraged by the actions of the Korean government that she left the country. She is not alone in her criticism of the Korean government over what happened in 2002.
The Chosun Ilbo newspaper published a series of interviews from some of the sailors injured in the 2002 attack and here are excerpts of what they had to say:
Another naval gunner, Kim Taek-jung, 25, has given up his dream of becoming a civil engineer and is preparing for the civil service exam instead. “Because civil engineering requires active work at the site, I’ve made a realistic decision to become a public servant, I still have four or five pieces of shrapnel in my body,” Kim said. “One night I remembered the faces of my six dead comrades, but I couldn’t recall the name of one of them, so I sobbed all night.”
Although they suffer from sleepless nights and nightmares, those without external injuries are not entitled to benefits as “persons of merit.” Ko Kyug-rak, 25, also a naval gunner, said, “For over a year after the incident I was unable to sleep more than three hours a night.” Aboard the patrol boat that turned into a sea of flame, Ko saw his peers burned and their heads blown away and lost some of his hearing. But when he went to a military hospital to claim benefit, Ko was given cool treatment. “A doctor ignored the psychological problems and only asked me to show any external wounds,” he said. “If benefits for persons of merit are granted for this level of injuries, the doctor said, it would have an adverse effect on the state budget.”
Another wounded veteran, Kim Myun-joo, 26, has applied for meritorious benefit twice, but in vain. “I’m just sad because I feel like that post-traumatic stress disorder and efforts to safeguard the country are being neglected,” he said
Of the six victims this paper interviewed, three have office jobs and three are students, all trying hard to make a future for themselves despite the difficulties. What they want from the country is just one thing: that it remembers that many young people were killed or wounded while safeguarding the country on June 29, 2002. “I just wish they remembered the battle once a year, even if they don’t pay much attention. Nothing else,” said Lee Jae-yong, 25.
President Roh did not attend a memorial ceremony for the murdered sailors and the memorial services in later years were attended largely by ROK Navy and USFK leaders. The South Korean ruling party failure to honor these brave sailors was only a further example of the failure of the Sunshine Policy. The South Korean government gave massive amounts of aid to North Korea and they murder South Korean sailors, fire a tactical ballistic missiles, and test nuclear weapons among of host of other provocations. Probably the worst example of North Korean appeasement is how the South Korean political left ignored the plight of hundreds of South Korean citizens that had been abducted by North Korean commandos and agents over the years. A South Korean wife of one of the abductees had to mount her own personal rescue operation to free her husband from enslavement in North Korea while the South Korean government did nothing to assist her. So the 2nd Battle of Yeonpyeong was just one of many incidents in a long line of appeasement of North Korea. In the ensuing years the South Korean government under left wing President Roh Moo-hyun would send North Korea a record of over one billion dollars in aid which is more than they pay to help fund the US-ROK alliance.
Fortunately once President Lee Myung-bak was elected to office he ended the outrage committed against the families of the deceased sailors and began a policy of properly honoring the veterans from West Sea Naval Battle. In fact a replica of the Chamsuri 357 now sits at the War Memorial in Yongsan where children visit it to learn about the West Sea Naval Battle.
In fact the change in attitude under the Lee Myung-bak government caused the wife of the deceased ROK sailor to return home from the US:
The widow of Petty Officer Han Sang-guk, who was killed in a June 2002 naval battle with North Korea near Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea, will return to her mother country in April three years after her departure to the U.S. Kim Jong-seon left the country in April 2005 due to disappointment that the government ignored those killed in the battle. Kim told the Chosun Ilbo on Monday she is winding up her life in the U.S. and booked a flight leaving for South Korea on April 1.
Kim had said until last year she would not return to South Korea although she missed her family, since the nation seemed to pay inappropriate respect to the young soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it. Now she has changed her mind, motivated by reports that president-elect Lee Myung-bak’s Transition Team and the Defense Ministry decided to upgrade the memorial service for the victims of the West Sea Battle to a state event. [Chosun Ilbo]
In addition to honoring the sailors killed in the 2nd Batlle of Yeonpyeong, the Lee administration also drastically cut aid to the North Koreans. The North Koreans would respond by not only launching the artillery attack against Yeonpyeong Island, but also sinking the ROK Naval vessel the Cheonan that resulted in the deaths of 46 ROK sailors. However, unlike the brave sailors of the 2nd Battle of Yeonpyeong these sailors were not forgotten and continue to be honored by the ROK government for their service to the nation. Hopefully it never happens again that any ROK servicemember who gives their life for their nation should ever be forgotten and their families treated like criminals by the government they were serving to protect. Considering all the provocations in recent years along the North Limit Line there will undoubtedly be more ROK servicemembers murdered by the North Korean regime which shows that today there isn’t a bigger DMZ Flashpoint than the Northern Limit Line.
Note:You can read more DMZ Flashpoints articles at the below link:
The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was established with the signing of the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War on July 27, 1953. It was agreed upon that the DMZ would separated the two Koreas by creating a buffer zone four kilometers wide across the width of the 151 mile wide Korean peninsula. This buffer zone would be created in roughly the same positions that the warring parties had ended the conflict at. The Military Demarcation Line (MDL) would be the official border between the two countries while the two kilometers of the buffer zone to the north of the MDL would be monitored by North Korea while the two kilometers of the buffer zone of the south of the MDL would be monitored by South Korea. It was further agreed upon that no opposing force would enter the territory, air space, or contiguous waters under the control of the other country.
The United States military used to monitor the area of the DMZ north of the Imjim River with the 2nd Infantry Division as well as along the Chorwon corridor with the 7th Infantry Division. The 7th Infantry Division with redeployed in Korea in the 1970’s leaving the 2nd Infantry Division to continue their monitoring of the DMZ north of the Imjim River. The 2nd Infantry Division ultimately gave up the sole responsibility of monitoring the DMZ north of the Imjim River in the 1980’s and has now handed over all responsibilities for monitoring the demilitarized zone to the Korean Army. Besides the monitoring of the DMZ by the ROK Army a small contingent of civil police authorized by the armistice man 114 guard posts that monitor activity on the DMZ. The DMZ Civil Police also man two guard posts that overlook the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) housed at the Swiss/Swedish Camp, the Joint Security Area (JSA), and Tae Song Dong.
Military Armistice Commission
The Military Armistice Commission (MAC) was formed to be a body that would have the responsibility to negotiate any violations of the Armistice Agreement. This job was increasingly important over the years as the North Koreans have repeatedly violated the Armistice. From 1953 to 1994 the MAC was composed of a UNC component and a North Korean/Chinese component. Each component is comprised of five senior officers. Three of the officers must be the rank of general or a flag officer of some kind. The two remaining officers must be at least a colonel. During an official MAC meeting only the senior officer on each side can speak. The meetings are held inside one of the blue UN buildings situated on the MDL at the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom.
Anything spoken during these MAC meetings must be read in three languages, English, Korean and Chinese. The meetings also follow very strict guidelines, which further makes the meetings proceed at an extremely slow pace. The last official MAC meeting was held in 1991. Since then the North Koreans have refused to participate in an official MAC meeting because a South Korean general was appointed as the senior member of the UNC component. In 1994 in violation of the Armistice the North Koreans withdrew from the MAC altogether.
The United Nations Command Military Advisory Committee (UNCMAC) Secretariat is responsible for ensuring that United Nations Command (UNC) units comply with the 1953 armistice. The UNCMAC is responsible for investigating and reporting on any violation of the armistice on either side of the DMZ. Military personnel from either side of the border are not authorized to cross the MDL. Only the NNSC and a small number UNCMAC personnel are authorized to cross the MDL on certain occasions. The UNCMAC is also responsible for providing translators as well as scheduling official MAC meetings.
However, with the withdrawal of the North Koreans from the MAC in 1994 the UNCMAC has shifted from its primary administrative role to being the main channel of communication between the two sides. The UNCMAC Secretariat meetings held between the two sides which is supposed to be for administrative reasons has now turn into quasi MAC meetings with the secretariats now discussing things such as Armistice violations, the transfer of detained personnel, as well as the return of remains of deceased personnel on each side.
Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission
The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) was established by the Armistice Agreement as an independent, fact-finding body outside of the MAC, but responsible for reporting to the MAC. The NNSC is composed of four senior officers from four nations that did not participate in the Korean War. Each side chooses two of the officers that will compose the NNSC. Historically officers from Switzerland and Sweden composed the UNC side while officers from Poland and Czechoslovakia formed the North Korean side.
The NNSC was originally formed to investigate Armistice violations outside of the DMZ. This was intended to ensure both sides maintain a military status quo which existed when the ceasefire was signed. However, North Korea regularly prohibited NNSC teams from investigating in North Korea. Due to pressure from North Korea Czechoslovakia withdrew from the NNSC in 1993 and Poland withdrew in 1995. The Swiss and Swedish team remains and they continue to meet weekly to discuss reports from the UNC side in regards to Armistice issues. Despite this, the NNSC’s role on the DMZ is largely ceremonial.
Joint Security Area (JSA)
With the creation of the various bodies to manage the Armistice Agreement an area was needed to conduct the every day business of these bodies. Thus it was agreed upon that a Joint Security Area (JSA) at the village of Panmunjom where the Armistice negotiations took place, would be created.
The JSA is roughly 800 meters wide and is roughly circular in shape and bisected by the Military Demarcation Line. The MAC buildings where negotiations and meetings are held in are painted blue and divided down the middle by the MDL.
The JSA also has a building on each side of the MDL that serves as the Joint Duty Office. Since the senior officers that compose each component of the MAC are based in Seoul for the UNC and in Kaesong for the North Koreans they leave liason officers at all times at the JSA that work out of the Joint Duty Offices. These JDOs pass messages from the MAC to the secretaries on the other side of the JSA. Military policemen only are used to guard the JSA. Each side may only have 35 military policemen on duty in the JSA at one time. These policemen are also allowed to maintain an administrative area in the JSA. The NNSC is also allowed to keep an administrative area at the JSA to conduct meetings in as well.
Camp Bonifas
The most forward deployed base in all of United States Forces Korea is Camp Bonifas:
The camp was established after the Korean War to support operations at the Joint Security Area. Camp Bonifas is located approximately 400 meters south of the JSA and was originally called Camp Kitty Hawk. The name of the camp was changed after two American officers, Captain Arthur G. Bonifas and First Lieutenant Mark T. Barrett were murdered by North Korean soldiers in the infamous “Axe Murder Incident”. After the attack the camp was renamed in honor of CPT Bonifas.
The camp is home to the soldiers of the United Nations Command Security Force. The Korean and American soldiers that compose this battalion-sized element are responsible for the 24-hour security of the United Nations Command personnel and their guests that are working at or visiting the JSA.
The unit is also responsible for controlling the entry and exit of all vehicle and personnel into the area along with providing security for the Korean civilians that live within the Tae Song Dong farming village (Freedom Village) that lies within the DMZ. Finally the soldiers are also responsible for conducting tours of the JSA for both civilians and military personnel. The tours are available in English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. Roughly 100,000 people conduct a tour of the JSA annually. If you live in Korea and have not done one of these tours I highly recommend you do so. Probably the most unusual aspect of Camp Bonifas is that it is home to what is called the “world’s most dangerous golf course” by Sports Illustrated since the one hole course has minefields around it.
Today US and Korean soldiers continue to serve “In Front of Them All” as the battalion’s motto goes. Even though tensions continue between the two countries, major incidents on the DMZ have greatly diminished in recent years.
The base with the main combat power to support DMZ operations is Camp Greaves located just to the south of Camp Bonifas on the north side of the Imjim River:
The camp is named after Corporal Clinton Greaves of Company C, 9th U.S. Cavalry, who fought off a band of Apaches in 1879 to save fellow cavalrymen. Camp Greaves was founded by the 1st Marine Division during the Korean War in 1953. After the war the Marines used the camp as a patrol base to monitor the DMZ from. After Marines left they were replaced by various units over the years to include the 1st Amphibious Tractor Battalion; the 3rd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division; the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division; and various 2nd Infantry Division battalions. The last 2ID unit stationed on Camp Greaves was the 1-506 Infantry Regiment. The 1-506th had been stationed on Camp Greaves since 1987 and their unit motto was “Stands Alone”, which I always found funny considering the thousands of ROK soldiers stationed nearby. With that said when the 1-506th was stationed in Korea I always found them to be a very high speed and motivated unit whenever I worked with them. Camp Greaves was closed in 2004 as part of the USFK transformation plan. After its closure half the camp was handed over to the ROK Army’s 1st Infantry Division and the other half is slated to become a $40 million DMZ theme park that is scheduled to open in 2018.
After its closure Camp Greaves like other Western Corridor camps has been the subject of protests though the protests around Camp Greaves is different from the left wing environmentalists that have been protesting other camps. The Camp Greaves protesters are from the Paju area who want the land the camp sits on to be given to the local government for development and not given to the ROK Army.
Warrior Base
Warrior Base is located near the Unification Bridge on the northern side of the DMZ. The base is used to house range control for the various firing ranges located around the DMZ area in the Western Corridor as well providing tent and barracks housing for units training in the area.
Here is a picture of Warrior Base which I have fond memories of spending nights in the tents there while training on the DMZ:
The DMZ includes two villages authorized by a subsequent agreement to the Armistice that ended the war. One village is Tae Song Dong (Freedom Village) on the South Korean side and the second village is Kichong-dong (Propaganda Village) on the North Korean side of the DMZ. Tae Song Dong is located about half a kilometer southwest of the JSA while Kichong is located about a half kilometer northwest of the JSA. Here is a Google Earth image of Tae Song Dong:
Residency in Tae Song Dong is strictly controlled. Only original inhabitants of the village or their direct descendants may live in the village. Kichong-dong on the other hand appears to be a normal village by day with North Koreans working in the fields but at night the workers are bussed to where they live in the nearby city of Kaesong. Only a small custodial staff actually lives in the village. Kichong-dong is referred to by UNC soldiers as “Propaganda Village” due to the loud broadcasts of propaganda blasted from speakers in the village over the years. Here is a Google Earth image of the Propaganda Village:
Here is a a picture of the “Propaganda Village” as seen from the South Korean side of the DMZ:
Located in the Joint Security Area is the Bridge of No Return. This bridge received this name because in 1953 prisoners of war from the allied nations, the Koreas, and China were given the one time option of returning to their home countries. When one walked across the bridge they could not return thus giving the bridge its name The Bridge of No Return.
Image of the Bridge of No Return via the DMZ webpage.
Besides being the setting for the swapping of POWs the bridge was also the scene of the Axe Murder Incident on August 18, 1976 that saw two American officers brutally killed by North Korean soldiers while trying to trim a tree. The murder of these two officers nearly led to war on the peninsula as the US brought in extra ground, air, and naval power to the peninsula to cut down the tree.
Freedom Bridge
Before the Korean War two side by side railway bridges extended across the Imjim River that were used for rail traffic between the then South Korean city of Kaesong and the capitol city of Seoul. However during the surprise North Korean attack against the Republic of Korea launched on June 25, 1950 the South Korean military failed to destroy the bridges. The explosives on the bridges had failed to explode and the North Korean military quickly captured the bridges, which greatly aided the speed of their assault south on Seoul. One of the bridges was destroyed in 1951 as the allies marched north against both the North Koreans and the Chinese forces that had entered the war. The allies were able to successfully capture the last remaining bridge across the Imjim in late 1951.
Freedom Bridge which crossed the Imjim River during the Korean War via Defense Media.
This bridge took on increased importance as peace talks began at the village of Panmunjom just north of the Imjim River. The bridge was refurbished to handle the increased amount of traffic that flowed back and forth from Panmujom every day. On February 16, 1952 the refurbishing was complete and the bridge officially became known as Freedom Bridge. The bridge lived up to its moniker when allied POWs were returned to South Korea after the signing of the Armistice Agreement and they crossed this bridge by ambulance on their return to a reception station set up at Munsan. This route from Panmunjom across the bridge became known as Liberty Lane afterwards.
Freedom Bridge today.
On June 15, 1998 a four-lane bridge dubbed the Tongil (Unification) Bridge was opened across the Imjim River in response to increased traffic to the north side of the Imjim River. The opening of the Tongil Bridge has caused Freedom Bridge to be largely unused today, but it still stands as a testament to the days of the Korean War.
Tongil Bridge
Illegal North Korean Tunnels
In the 1970’s North Korean dictator Kim Il-sung ordered his divisions along the Demilitarized Zone to each dig and maintain two tunnels that infiltrated into South Korea. Evidence of this plan became evident until 1974. On the morning of November 15, 1974, a ROK Army patrol in the west-central sector of the DMZ noted steam rising from the ground. They thought they had found evidence of a hot spring and began digging to see if they had indeed found one.
Instead of a hot spring they found a tunnel that was a mere 18 inches below the surface. While excavating the site the South Korean patrol began to take fire from a North Korean guard post. The patrol began to return fire back at the North Koreans to cover their retreat away from the area. Fortunately no one was injured in the exchange of fire. The South Koreans returned with a larger force to further excavate the site and discovered that the tunnel ran from North Korea and extended one kilometer into South Korea before it was discovered by the patrol. The tunnel was reinforced with concrete slabs, had electric power, weapons storage, sleeping areas, and even a narrow gauge rail line with carts. It was believed that the tunnel was big enough to hold one regiment of soldiers at a time which would have allowed the North Koreans to infiltrate an entire division into South Korea in a matter of hours.
On November 20th as a United Nations MAC team investigated the site, an investigation that the North Korean UNCMAC members refused to participate in, a North Korean explosive booby trap went off killing two MAC investigators, US Navy Commander Robert M. Ballinger and ROK Marine Corps Major Kim Hah Chul. Five more US soldiers and one ROK Army soldier were injured in the blast. Commander Ballinger was the first US casualty on the DMZ since 1969. Just a few months later on March 19, 1975 another tunnel was discovered approximately eight miles northeast of Chorwon. Excavation of the tunnel found that the tunnel was two meters high, less then two meters wide, and about 2,300 meters in length with 1000 meters of the tunnel extending into South Korea. The North Koreans denied digging the tunnel and claimed the South Koreans dug it themselves.
On October 17, 1978 another tunnel was discovered under the DMZ. The prior two tunnels had been in relatively isolated locations however this tunnel was different because it was dug only four kilometers from Panmunjom along the main invasion route into South Korea. Similar to the prior tunnels this tunnel was created with a two by two interior and could have been used to infiltrate thousands of soldiers into South Korea. Of course the North Koreans denied any knowledge of constructing the tunnel. The fourth North Korean tunnel was discovered on March 3, 1990 northeast of the small city of Yanggu in the remote Punchbowl area of Gangwon province. Surprisingly a week later the North Koreans actually admitted to constructing the tunnel in order to “facilitate peaceful reunification”.
Picture of entrance to the 4th entrance tunnel via Wikipedia.
Conclusion
I hope everyone enjoyed this profile of the Western section of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. If you haven’t visited Panmunjom while in South Korea I highly recommend you do so. It is a fascinating place to see that many US military servicemembers and their ROK counterparts over the years have kept safe for visitors. Likewise these same servicemembers have helped keep the ROK safe from North Korean provocations and invasions with their service on freedom’s frontier on the Western Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Note:You can read more from the ROK Drop featured series “A Profile of USFK Bases” at the below link:
Besides several typos (minor issue), I noticed that the description of Camp Bonifas states that the camp is “located approximately 400 meters south of the JSA”. The camp is actually approximately 100 meters from the southern boundary of the DMZ, which since the JSA is in the middle of the 4km wide DMZ, would mean the camp is approximately 2000m from the JSA.
A small correction, but one I’ve been making comments on ever since the Axe Murder Incident, when the official US Army report stated that the (QRF) “Rescue SQuad” (actually a platoon), was over a mile away from the DMZ at the time of the incident, when the Camp wasn’t even a mile away from the DMZ, and at the time of the incident, the QRF Platoon was at the QRF site about 300m away, and then sat at CP#2 (the entrance to the JSA) while the 3rd Plt. leader waited for orders from Capt. Bonifas (who was already dead) to enter the JSA. Finally LTC Vierra arrived at CP#2 from Camp Kitty Hawk and ordered the 3rd Plt. into the JSA, so at no time was anybody ever “over a mile away from the DMZ”.
Thanks for this very thorough overview, I really enjoyed reading it.
I am a 1.5 gen and while growing up in Korea, I distinctly remember that axe incident and the odd feeling of uneasiness that fell on our household. I was too young to fully comprehend what exactly occurred but just remember the elders being really cautious…much more than usual.
I was at Osan AB for two years. Arrived after the murder of the two officers but there was still a lot of uneasiness, the Air Base was still on alert. I was also there during the discovery of the third tunnel. This was a big dill in Korea at the time, but made very little news in the US.
[…] versa. I’ll spare you the history lesson about Korea’s DeMilitarized Zone – but ROK Drop’s post is detailed, accurate, and full of win. Suffice it to say that the sites you’ll see are […]
I had heard many of these terms, places, incidence mentioned when I was there in ’83 at Camp Pelham (later named Gary Owen) but I can appreciate much of this information in a clearer context after reading your post. You have a way of making information entertaining to read while not diminishing the seriousness of some of these events.
Very good perspective of the Korean DMZ. Some facts presented are disputable, but otherwise great source of information and good pictures. Congratulations to the one who put this together and best wishes for you in the future.
With the passing of the NK president Kim Jong-Il this week, it will be most interesting to see how things develop under the rule of Kim-Un, the expected new leader of the North.
Bill is correct in his remarks, above–and he should know, since he was there at the time.
Another small correction: the Google Earth “pin” for Camp Bonifas is actually on the edge of the helipad between it and Camp Liberty Bell. Camp Bonifas (formerly Advance Camp) is south of the road–unless all the new buildings just to the west of the pin have been incorporated into the compound since 1976. Thanks for posting.
HALF of Camp Bonifas is created from the old Camp Kitty Hawk, the other half is from Camp Liberty Bell, which of course sat diagonally across the road from Kitty Hawk and was the Advance Camp for the Forward Most Deployed Infantry Company (Co A) in the forward most deployed Inafantry Battalion in the US Army (1st Bn 9th Inf Manchu) in my day 79-81. LOL We were the Po’ COuntry Cousins that everyone forgets about right across the road. We wasnt fancy, we were just the ones that kept everyone else on the Z from getting thier asses flattenned by the entire KPA before help could arrive from the REMF’s.
I wish I had spent more time touring these historic monuments during my time in the ROK. The two incidents that stick out in my mind were the 9/11 lockdown and the two school girls who were accidentally run over.
I was stationed at Camp Casey 1978-1979 and we were constantly on alert, they were finding tunnels then.I always felt the ground shaking. I have alot of bad memories from the 13 months I spent there.It’s a SHAME…..
I was stationed at PanMumJom as a military policeman from 1964 to 1965. I loved my duty there even though at times it was scary. I can’t remember a night that we didn’t hear gun fire or those damn speakers. We got a lot of respect from Korean’s wherever we went. They respected that United Nations patch and the men who wore it.
I was stationed at Panmunjom during the USS Pueblo incident march 1968.My MOS is 11B10 and by April I remember getting paid a combat pay.The damn speakers are still there.I was awarded with a bayonet badge, for crossing the demarcation line.
Is there anyone there who was stationed in the same place and time range? please I want to hear from you.
[…] spare you the history lesson about Korea’s DMZ – but ROK Drop’s post is detailed, accurate, and full of win. Suffice it to say that the sites you’ll see are […]
Thanks for posting this–It brought back memories of my day at the DMZ while participating in Team Spirit in the late 1980s as a MSgt. with the Army Reserve’s 302nd Public Affairs Unit from Los Alamitos, L.A. Co., CA.
There was an incident in 1977 2chinooks on a training excersise collided in the Z several we’re killed and one survived. NK returned them to us a couple of weeks later.
Would have liked to see a little love for Fire Base 4P3. Everyone stationed from JSA to Freedom Bridge knew that we had their back. Was stationed at Camp Pelham from 90-91 during the first Gulf War and did 3-4 rotations up there. Remember celebrating Cristmas and New Years (no booze of course)shadowing the grunt patrols with our 155mm towed howitzers. GUNS OF THE DMZ!!!
[…] spare you the history lesson about Korea’s DMZ – but ROK Drop’s post is detailed, accurate, and full of win. Suffice it to say that the sites you’ll see are […]
ALL OVER DMZ 70 71 LOTS OF PATROLS OUT OF GP MARTIN.NOT TOO MUCH HEARD ABOUT PEOPLE WHO WERE ON GUARD POSTS.REMEMBER SEEING MDL SIGN AND BACKING UP REAL SLOW.IMJIN SCOUT FROM ACTA E5.ANYONE WITH PICS PLEASE SEND mkikasdmz@att.net
I was stationed at Camp Stanley and the “First to Fire” 1st 15th FA from Oct 1979 – Jun 1980. I was a Forward observer and went to the DMZ three times and was involved in an international incedent on the DMZ when two 105′s were laid 1400 mils out of safe and we shot four rounds into North korea. What an experience it was!! 24 hours later I was in the air going home. Travis AB never looked better!! I was awarded the ARMY Accomidation medal for my actions as a PFC Gen Kingston looked surprised when he was pinning the medal on my chest and said “Damn Soldier, You are the yougest I have ever given this medal to” I am a proud Disabled Veteran and I want to thank you for your service……thnx me
I am researching the DMZ and trying to get clarity on the current status of the UNC-JSA force. Are there US Soldiers currently assigned to this unit conducting patrols along the DMZ?
Will try again had loss first attempt, had arrived at Casey 22 Jun 77 did the turtle farm thing then went I got to Hovey the 1/9th was getting ready to go to the DMZ so I was restricted to post and didn’t see Toko-ri until over a month later. Don’t know to today what part of the DMZ that we went to, one of the first patrols that I was getting ready to go on a 5.56 round whizzed by my head while still inside the compound, a Pfc who wasn’t supposed to even have the magazine in the well had sighted in on me with his starlight scope and squeezed off the round missing my head by inches, could hear the buzz sound as it went by.The PLT SGT come running and chewed his ass, saying son I will stick my foot so far up your ass I will have shit stained knee caps, I know that the SOP was that everybody inserted the magazine as you walked out the compound gate and only the point man and Squad leader actually chambered a round keeping the safety on, this is a true story and I know that it doesn’t even compare to combat but if that round would of been slightly to the right most likely it would of been said that dumb hillbilly from Kentucky done went and got himself killed the first month in country. Goes to show what that can happen.
A man is a man etc, not going to make this a hometown topic. When something happens that sticks in your mind like yesterday that was 35 plus years ago you tell it like it was and what was said. Don’t really care about your hip text u this u that. Never sucked and never will friend.
Unknown to a lot of people was a small unit based out of Yongsan. It was basically an engineer unit that did nothing but search for tunnels on the DMZ. This was in 78 when I was there. I was tasked to take my bulldozer to the DMZ to help look for the tunnel later discovered. However I was short and they sent someone else. When he came back about a week later he walked up and punched me. They sent him out into a area to dig trenches where they thought a tunnel might be. He kept hearing noises in front of his blade. He started to get off the dozer to inspect to see if something was wrong. Everybody started hollering and waving at him so he backed out of the area. They told him what he was hearing were landmines exploding and not to worry about it, but to keep a blade of dirt in front of the dozer at all times to be safe. He said it was the longest week of his life.
I have had an increasing amount of inquiries from former Korea veterans in regards to the spraying of Agent Orange in areas near the DMZ. This spraying occurred during a period of heightened tensions along the DMZ where the North Koreans increased infiltrators into South Korea in an attempt to start an insurgency, ambush soldiers, attack US camps, bomb barracks, and even try to assassinate the South Korean President during a period that became known as the 2nd Korean War. Agent Orange was sprayed along the DMZ areas in order to kill foliage in order to more easily spot North Korean infiltrators. Agent Orange has since been proven to be the cause of a number of health defects with veterans that served in both Vietnam and Korea.
The spraying of Agent Orange in Korea has now been verified by the US government and the VA wants people who may have been exposed to it to come in:
The government is offering to examine Cold War American troops who served in Korea three decades ago for possible exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange.
In a little-publicized initiative, the Veterans Affairs Department expanded a program previously offered to Vietnam War veterans to include people who served in Korea in 1968-69.
The rule change follows by a year the Pentagon’s disclosure that South Korean troops sprayed Agent Orange, which contained the toxic herbicide dioxin, during that time along the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.
The decision to give vets free Agent Orange Registry exams, for diseases and medical conditions associated with exposure to the herbicide, is set out in a directive issued Sept. 5 and posted on the department’s http://www.va.gov World Wide Web site.
Agent Orange and other similar herbicides were used during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover by defoliating broad sections of jungle mainly to facilitate pursuit of infiltrators and supplies moving into South Vietnam from the north. After it appeared probable that the defoliant caused numerous serious illnesses and birth defects, the VA set up the Agent Orange Registry in 1978, three years after the war ended, for U.S. veterans with in-country Vietnam War military service. More than 300,000 veterans have participated so far.
“Now that we understand that it was sprayed there,” said VA spokesman Jim Benson, “we can say, `If you were in Korea, you may be exposed, and we would like you to come in.”’
The VA may want these veterans to come in, but they want them to prove they were in an area that was sprayed for Agent Orange, which may be tough to do for people that were stationed in units away from the DMZ and did a short temporary duty stint near the DMZ that may have exposed them to Agent Orange. The Pentagon claims that the Agent Orange was only sprayed along the southern portion of the DMZ which is the 2 kilometer wide strip of land on the South Korean side of the border. Even if this is true the Agent Orange could still have washed into other areas and the water supply by rain I would think?
The four combat brigades of the 2nd Infantry Division, including the following units:
a) 1-38 Infantry
b) 2-38 Infantry
c) 1-23 Infantry
d) 2-23 Infantry
e) 3-23 Infantry
f) 3-32 Infantry
g) 109th Infantry
h) 209th Infantry
i) 1-72 Armor
j) 2-72 Armor
k) 4-7th Cavalry
Also, the 3rd Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division, including the following units:
a) 1-17th Infantry
b) 2-17th Infantry
c) 1-73 Armor
d) 2-10th Cavalry
This veteran’s site has a number of good links on it that should help people looking for information on Agent Orange in Korea for those who are interested. However, does anyone else have any good information or links to share to help veterans that may have been exposed to Agent Orange?
In the late night darkness of the Korean DMZ on April 14, 1968 one of the deadliest incidents along this tension filled border would occur. That night four UN Command personnel would lose their lives after a deadly North Korean ambush of their truck. Here is how the Stars & Stripes would report the story:
ALONG THE DMZ, Korea — Observers at the scene of Sunday night’s bold ambush by Communist North Koreans who machine-gunned and killed four United Nations Command soldiers reached one conclusion: “I don’t see how anybody survived this.”
About 20 bullet holes could be seen in the shattered front windshield of the truck. Both headlights were blasted out. Three of the tires were punctured and at least 40 rounds had ripped through the truck’s rear canvas cover. Two UNC troops survived the attack, but were wounded.
A pool of dried blood, a severed wristwatch, glass fragments and discarded bandage wrappers were scattered around the ground near the truck.
A U.S. Army spokesman said parts of a Soviet fragmentation grenade were found.
Lt. Col. M. G. Engle, chief of the UNC Joint Observation Team, found several empty North Korean ammunition clips and numerous spent rounds of Soviet-made 7.62-mm bullets near the ambush scene.
Engle had arrived here to meet with a North Korean delegation at 6 a.m. Monday to investigate the ambush, but the Communists failed to show up. They had been asked by Rear Adm. J. V. Smith, UNC senior member of the Military Armistice Commission, to participate in a Joint Observer Team (JOT) investigation.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Herman A. Praeger, commander of the 8th U.S. Army Support Command Advance Camp three miles south of Panmunjom, described the machine-gun fire which cut down the relief guards as “deadly accurate and delivered from close range.”
Praeger, one of the first U.S. officials to arrive at the scene, shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday, said about 200 rounds of machine-gun fire came from both sides of the dirt road.
The three-quarter-ton truck, lights on and flying a white flag in accordance with armistice rules, carried three men in the cab and three others in the back under cover of the canvas top, according to Praeger.
The UNC guards were carrying .45-cal. pistols but it was not known whether they returned any shots, Praeger said.
The dead and injured were taken by helicopter to the 121st Evac. Hospital in ASCOM after the ambush.
The truck and guards were from the support element at the Advance Camp, not from the 2nd Inf. Div. as previously reported.
Of interest is this ambush occurred at the same time that the US was negotiating for the release of the crew from the USS Pueblo that had been captured back in January 1968. Additionally President Lyndon B. Johnson was meeting the next day with ROK President Park Chung-hee in Hawaii to discuss the USS Pueblo Incident and the sending of an additional 50,000 ROK soldiers to Vietnam. Arguably the North Koreans were sending a message about their resolve for US capitulation on the USS Pueblo issue and give Park reason to not send more troops to Vietnam.
April 16, 1968 edition of the Stars & Stripes.
August 17, 1968 edition of the Stars & Stripes.April 16, 1967 edition of the Stars & Stripes.
Conclusion
This ambush of the vehicle was one that followed a series of deadly North Korean provocations during the late 1960′s to include an ambush of Camp Liberty Bell, the Camp Walley barracks bombing, along with other attacks; most notably the Blue House Raid. This period of increased North Korean attacks would eventually come to be known as the DMZ War. This period of American military history is little known, but had important strategic consequences for the US military that unfortunately the four UN Command soldiers killed in the truck ambush would never live to see.
You can read more DMZ Flashpoint articles at the below link:
I remember in 1980(?) an incident at the DMZ that ocurred during the turmoil after Pak Chung Hee was assassinated. An ambush in the DMZ that was emphatically denied by the North Koreans, even though the evidence of spent shells and NK hats(?) were found.
It would seem that the KCIA at the time had planned the ambush to implicate the North and bring the US closer in supporting the new military regime in South Korea. The south was in tumoil at the time with riots and many killed in demonstrations,(est 200+) by the military, at Kwang Ju (?)
What does that have to do with this article? I don’t know, but it jogged my memory.
One of the best reads on this subject was written by then Major Daniel Bolger. He is now Major General Bolger and the CG of 1st CAV. His Leavenworth Paper Number 19, Scenes from an Unfinished War: Low-Intensity Conflict in Korea, 1966-1968, is well worth the read. It can be found at: http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Bolge…
A writer sent a comment regarding Agent Orange drums being used/stored in ASCOM Eighth Army during his tour, I believe 1968/1969 he did not leave an E-Mail address, I would appreciate communicating with anyone who served at ASCOM who could help other Vets with similar Agent Orange exposure claims, I also served there from 1967-1969 and could help.
A writer sent a comment regarding Agent Orange drums being used/stored in ASCOM Eighth Army during his tour, I believe 1968/1969, I would appreciate communicating with anyone who served at ASCOM who could help many Vets with similar Agent Orange exposure claims, I also served there from 1967-1969 and could help.
my husband was in korea at the time 16 men died and they could not fire back they had no ammo in thier weapons. After this episode they were sent to the DMZwith a .45 and an m14.
I was home on leave waaiting to go to Korea on the night the truck ws ambushed. I saw the news report on tv. When I arrived in Korea I was assigned to JSA and replaced the Sgt. who was killed on the truck that was ambushed. There were firefights every night during that year along the DMZ. It was truly a forgotten war.
MIke Johnson
Sgt. E5
JSA Apr-Oct 1968
This story was distorted by the Army from the very beginning. I suspect that they wanted to minimize things due to the Viet Nam War having priority. There were about 10 or 11 people in that vehicle. Unbelieveably, the driver survived the initial attack and was later killed after begging for his life. One guy in front survived by playing dead. Another 2 in the back. SSgt. Robert Hawkins, A Co. 1/38 Inf. put together how it was done. 3 North Koreans, an L-shaped ambush with grenades and AK-47 fire. Hours afterwards they were trailed by blood hounds into Freedom Village. SSgt. Hawkins decided not to trail the NK’s into the village for fear of civilian harm.
My brother, LeRoy R. Jacks, Jr. was one of the surviving American soldiers that were in that jeep that day. There were only 6 people in that jeep, according to him. When the jeep was fired upon, the jeep stopped and the driver stood up saying “We surrender” and then they were immediately fired upon. My brother said that he got hit and one of the soldiers fell on top of him, which is probably what saved his life. He said they got close enough to take his gun out of its holster. He knew they were not taking prisoners so he just “froze” there. When he was able to finally come “home”, he showed us slides of the jeep and the clothes they had on. It was really a miracle that anyone lived that day. He also showed us slides of the “alleged” peace talks at Panmunjom where they were discussing the incident termed “The Pueblo Crisis” While they were supposed to be concerned with human lives, the two sides were trying to upstage the other side as to “which side had the higher flag”. Every day there were taller flags. This was nothing but “Trivial Pursuit” at a time when the lives of our servicemen were in jeopardy. My brother passed away 10 years ago of cancer. He was only one week away from his 55th birthday which was on July 29. He was never “proud” of the incident .
Your date is incorrect. It happened on 14 April 1968 not 17 April 1968. It happened on Easter Sunday morning. Look up Easter Sunday in 1968 and see what date it fell on. I remember the date because I was assigned to the US Army Support Group, JSA at the time. One of my worst days in the Army.
I WAS ON CHECK POST 3/THE BRIDGE/ THE DAY OF THE ATTACK WHEN THINGS BEGAN TO HAPPEN 1 A SGT E5 WAS THERE WITH A JEEP VISITING A FLUKE WHEN THE N KOKEAN COVERED 3/4 TON CAME ACROSS THE BRIDGE MY JOB WAS TO OBSERVE, LOG AND GUESS HOW MANY OCCUPANTS AT 25MPH TODAY THEY STOPPED THE JEEP CAUGHT THEM BY SURPRISE AND THEY DIDNOT LIKE IT I WAS HEADING OUTSIDE TO SEE WHAT THESE ASSHOLES WERE UP TO BUT WAS ORDERED TO STAND DOWN AND STAY PUT LOTS OF YELLING AND RUNNING AROUND OUTSIDE AND AN OFFICER DIRECTING TO SLASH ALL 4 TIRES WHICH THEY DID AND LEFT INTO JSA CALL TO MOTOR POOL SGT AND JEEP LEFT NOON CHOW RELIEF TRUCK /THE TRUCK/ WAS LATE I CALLED IN TOLD TO WAIT THELL CHECK 1 HR LATER CALLED AGAIN TOLD TO KEEP THE LINE CLEAR AND REPORT ANY THING STANGE? SOON THE TROOPS ARRIVED IWAS TOLD NOTHING REPORT BACK TO ADVANCE CAMP MY 45 TAKEN AWAY THEY WERE AFRAID OF REPRISALS AND BACK TO SEOUL IN 12HRS WE WERE TOLD NOTHING NEVER QUESTIONED AND I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS COVERED TILL NOW AND THE INTERNET I FIRMLY BELIVE THE GUNS AND THE MEN THAT KILLED OUR TROOPS WERE IN THE BACK OF THAT TRUCK
There have been many flashpoints on the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) over the years with patrols being ambushed and even an American barracks being bombed, but there has probably never been a North Korean attack as brazen as the ambush on Camp Liberty Bell. On the afternoon of August 28, 1967 soldiers of Charlie Company 76th Engineer Battalion had just returned to Camp Liberty Bell for dinner after a hard day of working on improving the main road that travels north to the Korean armistice village of Panmunjom located 2.3 kilometers north of the camp.
The August 31, 1967 edition of the Pacific Stars & Stripes newspaper.
Chow Hall Ambush
Some soldiers were sitting down on tables eating while many others were still waiting in line to get their food. As the soldiers went through their daily ritual to get their chow shots suddenly rang out and bullets smashed into the chow hall tent. Soldiers ran for cover and others turned over the chow hall tables in hopes they would provide adequate cover from the incoming bullets.
Hill overlooking Camp Liberty Bell where North Korean commandos attacked the camp in 1967. Image via the 2ID Association website.
The soldiers outside also raced for cover and spotted the gunmen on a 100 meter hill overlooking Camp Liberty Bell firing down on the American soldiers. The camp’s quick reaction force (QRF) raced to prepare a counterattack against the enemy. With shots still ringing out, the quick reaction force advanced up a road leading to the top of the hill to intercept the gunmen. The QRF took two casualties as they advanced up the road when one of the American soldiers stepped on a landmine planted by the North Korean commandos. By the time the QRF was able to get to the top of the hill the commandos had fled. The QRF estimates that they saw about 9-12 North Korean commandos on the hill and found over 1,000 rounds of unspent Soviet 7.62 ammo left at the firing position on the hill. The QRF followed the commandos’ tracks leading from the position and determined they had successfully crossed back over the DMZ to North Korea.
In this modern day Google Earth image you can see the hill that rises above the current Camp Bonifas where Camp Liberty Bell at the time time of the attack was located. The proximity of the DMZ fence made escape very easy for the North Korean commandos.
The aftermath of the attack saw Camp Liberty Bell with pools of blood splattered across the compound mixed with the shouts of pain and suffering from the wounded. Unfortunately three soldiers could not shout out in pain because they lied dead on the ground after the North Korean attack. The initial dead included one American, Specialist Michael Vogel and two Korean KATUSA soldiers that died in the unprovoked attack. Private First Class Curtis Rivers was seriously wounded and would later die of his wounds raising the death toll further.
August 31, 1967 edition of the Pacific Stars & Stripes.
Attack Aftermath
The attack was considered the most serious attack since the signing of the Korean armistice agreement in 1953 that involved an area south of the demilitarized zone. The attack followed two North Korean ambushes launched on August 10, 1967 that killed three US soldiers.
The attack on Camp Liberty Bell proved even more deadly with four soldiers dead and many more wounded. In total twenty-six people were wounded in the attack that included fourteen US soldiers, nine South Korean soldiers, and three Korean civilian employees. The United Nations Command made the usual protests against the North Koreans during a meeting a Panmunjom and of course the North Korean communists denied all knowledge of the attack. This attack would be one in a long series of attacks that would occur against frontline forces stationed in Korea in what would eventually come to be known as the “DMZ War“.
August 31, 1967 edition of the Pacific Stars & Stripes.
For more DMZ Flashpoints articles please click the below link:
“It’s very sad to see this kind of history rot away in the DMZ,†said Han, 80. “But I’m very happy for what they are doing today.â€
On Monday, a crane lifted the locomotive on to a flatbed truck and took it to Imjingak, where it will be spruced up in accordance with its standing as a South Korean national cultural property.
Workers will spend up to two years preserving what is left of the train, but they will not be restoring it to its original condition.
To do that they would probably have to replace most of the original material, which is heavily corroded after 56 winters of inactivity.
“We will use chemical techniques to maintain the locomotive as it is, to slow down corrosion,†said Jeong-seok, Cultural Heritage Administration spokesman. “This will preserve it for the next generation to see.â€
The locomotive will be treated in a public glass enclosure at Imjingak, the Imjin River train station that now serves as a tourist park. Imjingak is only about a mile from the restricted access Tong-il “Unification†Bridge, which leads to Camp Bonifas and the United Nations Joint Security Agency.
The locomotive will then be returned to the DMZ, one bridge away from the final South Korean checkpoint and one mile from the military demarcation line that separates the two Koreas.
It is a war zone littered with minefields and 160,000 yearly tourists.
It’s also where 38 soldiers with the 8th Army and under the United Nations Command Security Battalion/Joint Security Area work six days a week on a base cut off from the rest of South Korea by the restricted “Freedom Bridge.â€
It’s not for everybody, they freely admit. But some of the soldiers handpicked for this duty voluntarily spend several years at Camp Bonifas, a stone’s throw — and be careful where you throw that stone — from the Demilitarized Zone.
If you live in Korea and haven’t been to the JSA you really should. If you are in the military the easiest way to go is to take an MWR tour that is scheuduled monthly. You must wear your class B’s though. If you are not in the military you will need to get with a Korean travel agent to line up a tour. You will have to leave your Megadeath shirt at home though because there is a dress code. It is worth dressing up though to see this last frontier of the Cold War.
Over the past weekend I attended the Imjingak Peace Festival located near the Korean Demilitarized Zone just outside the small city of Imjingak along the Imjin River:
Here is what I learned during the Imjingak Peace Festival that is an English translation of one of the poems on display at the festival:
I still rise, you can record me with severe force, lies in the history, I don’t care if you trample over me with slander, I still rise… It is a form of a video poem with the background poem of America’s representative hostess, Maya Angelou who gave a congratulatory speech at US President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. This poem is dedicated to the children that went through pain and died from the chemical weapons that was used by the US Army at the US & Iraq war.
The poem doesn’t translate very well into English but the last part about the US Army using chemical weapons on the Iraqis I found absurd. Even at a Peace Festival there has got to be a cheap shot taken at America. I wonder how many kids there read this and went home thinking those horrible Americans used chemical weapons on Iraqi kids. Absurd. However, as absurd as this is, the Imjingak Peace Festival really isn’t all the bad of an event to check out.
Imjimgak Peace Park with train station in the background.
The Peace Festival is being held in the city of Imjingak which is located on the south side of the Imjin River near the Korean War truce village of Panmunjom and the border with North Korea. Imjingak is actually closer to Kaeseong, North Korea than to Seoul. From the park that the festival is located at you can still see the current reality of the tensions on the border. The military presence is heavy in the area with regular guard points and lots of barb wired fencing along the river banks. However, it did feel odd to have such a nice park and also a carnival sitting so close to the heavily militarized DMZ. But this is reality in the modern day Korea.
Guard post along the Imjim River.
One of the first exhibits you will see is located in large white circus tent that included the before mentioned poetry which I found very boring, some videos about North-South relations which were all in Korean, African art display, and pictures from East Timor. I found all of these displays uninteresting.
From there it was on to the Paju Soybean Museum. I didn’t know what it was at first. I was hoping it was some kind of DMZ display. That is what I came here to look at. It may not have been a DMZ display but I did learn about all the wonders of the Paju Soybean. The Paju Soybean at the museum is referred to as a “world famous” soybean product. I must be out of touch because this is the first time I have heard of the “world famous” Paju Soybean.
Next I got to see a performance from a Nigerian dance troupe:
They actually were entertaining watch. However, the first thing that popped into mind was if they were the ones kicked out of the Hollywood Bar last week. Also for some of my commenters that say all Nigerians are here in Korea to sell drugs; none of the Nigerian performers tried to sell me drugs.
Anyway from there I proceeded to find the photography display of Yann Arthus-Bertrand I had seen an article in the Chosun Ilbo about his display of aerial DMZ pictures and I really wanted to go check it out. I was not disappointed by the display. In fact the display featured more of his international photos then his Korea photos. His international photos I found to be more intriguing than the DMZ photos. I really wasn’t to impressed by his DMZ photos when compared to his other works. There was a few good DMZ pictures that I liked but most of his pictures were taken during the winter which is Korea’s most unphotogenic time of year because everything is very gray and brown. Here is a picture that was in the Chosun I liked:
This is a picture of the old North Korean Worker’s Party building in old Chorwon. Chorwon for those who haven’t been there is an interesting tour to see the DMZ infiltration tunnel and the old city of Chorwon which features many old abandoned buildings such as the Worker’s Party building destroyed during the Korean War.
There are books available for sale of Arthus-Bertrand’s work. There is a large picture book that costs 58,000 won and a smaller book for 25,000 won. I was impressed enough with his photography to buy the smaller book. The books are all in Korean unfortunately but I can read enough Hangul to read where the pictures are taken. The ajushi selling the books told me that major bookstores in Seoul carry the English version of the book.
Click Here to check out more of Arthus-Bertrand’s international pictures. Unfortunately he doesn’t have pictures from Korea posted yet. He is a very talented photographer and I recommend anyone interested in photography to check out his work.
International Pictures
Korea Pictures
The final thing I did at the festival was check out Freedom Bridge where the South Korean POW’s crossed over after being released from North Korea at the conclusion of the Korean War.
Old Freedom Bridge
Freedom Bridge
The bridge has since been turned into a well maintained park. The far end of the bridge facing North Korea has been sealed and is covered with unification messages.
Unification messages left on the end of Freedom Bridge
New Unification Bridge across the Imjin River used today.
If a DMZ history lesson is not what your looking for at the Peace Festival you can always just go to have fun at the amusement park.
DMZ Carnival
Yes that is right there is an amusement park adjacent to the DMZ. I don’t know if this makes this the World’s Most Dangerous Amusement Park, but a novelty none the less.
So if you have time and live in the Seoul area the Peace Festival is worth a visit if you are interested in DMZ history and photography. Plus the ride out to Imjimgak is a scenic one through the Korean country side which is something I always enjoy. Plenty of fresh air and the crowds are manageable. Beats hanging out in the city all weekend, so if you are in the area go check it out.
To get to Imjimgak just take highway 1 North from Seoul by car or take a train to Imjimgak from the Uijongbu train station. The Imjimgak train station is located adjacent to the Peace Festival, you can’t miss it.
29 years ago today, Operation Paul Bunyan was launched in response to the brutal axe murders of two US Army officers stationed on the Korean demilitarized zone at Panmunjom.
The two officers, CPT Arthur Bonifas commander of the security company at the JSA and his executive officer 1LT Mark Barrett on August 18, 1976 led a 5 man Korean Service Corps detail along with a six UNC soldier guard force to trim a tree that was obscuring the view of a guard shack located at the Bridge of No Return.
Here is an account of the incident from the book Hazardous Duty:
At 10:30 that morning, the KSC workers set up two ladders and started pruning branches. Five minutes later, a North Korean truck rolled up and disgorged two North Korean officers and nine enlisted men. The senior Communist officer was First Lieutenant Pak Chol, a veteran JSA guard known to have provoked scuffles with UNC personnel in the past. He asked Captain Kim what work was in progress and was told that the KSC team was only pruning branches. Lieutenant Pak muttered, “That is good.”
In their normally officious manner, the North Koreans began to coach the South Korean workers on the proper method of branch pruning. This was an obvious attempt to usurp the authority of the American officers, so Captain Bonifas told the men to simply get on with their work. Twenty minutes passed, and then, for no reason, Lieutenant Pak marched up to Captain Bonifas and ordered him to halt the trimming.
Bonifas refused, adding that his men would complete their job and leave. Lieutenant Pak shouted that anymore branch trimming would bring “serious trouble.” Captain Bonifas and Lieutenant Barrett had heard such threats before. They ignored the Communists. Still strutting and shouting, Lieutenant Pak sent away for reinforcements. Ten more Communist guards arrived by truck, and six more came trotting up from nearby guard posts. There were now thirty North Koreans surrounding the thirteen UNC soldiers and five KSC workmen. Lieutenant Pak was screaming now that any additional trimming would mean “death.”
The UNC Quick Reaction Force was monitoring the situation by radio and photographing the scene with a telephoto surveillance camera.
Captain Bonifas turned his back on the angry Communist officer to make sure the workers continued the pruning. He did not see Lieutenant Pak remove his watch, wrap it in a handkerchief and stick it into the pocket of his trousers. Nor did he see the other North Korean officer rolling up the sleeves of his jacket. An American NCO strode forward to warn Captain Bonifas.
At that moment, Lieutenant Pak screamed, “Chookyo!” Kill!
North Koreans Attack the Tree Trimming Detail
What proceeded to happen after that is the North Korean soldiers attacked the two American officers with their own axes and mattocks. The two officers were bludgeoned to death and the attack was only stopped when the driver of a two and half ton army vehicle drove at the attackers and over the mutilated body of CPT Bonifas dispersing the attackers. The North Koreans then quickly proceeded to run back across the Bridge of No Return. Overall two US officers were killed, 4 US soldiers injured, and 4 ROK Army soldiers were injured in the melee.
The North Koreans at the time had been committing a series of aggressive attacks on US and ROK soldiers. The North Koreans were trying to provoke a war by creating a US backlash. In 1976 the US had by then down sized the US commitment of soldiers to defend Korea by withdrawing the 7th Infantry Division leaving only the 2nd Infantry Division which remains today to help protect Korea. Plus the US was just coming out of the humiliating withdrawal from Vietnam that had greatly sapped the morale of the military and the American public. All during this time the North Koreans had undergone a large build up of forces themselves to the point where they had a two to one advantage over the UNC forces.
Kim Il Sung felt he could militarily defeat the UNC Army at this time, but he needed the UNC to attack him first to secure the backing of world opinion. If the US conducted a bombing campaign or any other direct show of force on the North Koreans war would of broke out and Kim Il Sung could blame the Americans for it and legitimize his invasion.
Kim Il Sung got his response from America which demonstrated America’s resolve in protecting Korea’s freedom with Operation Paul Bunyan.
Something substantial had to be done in response to the North Korean aggression but war was something the US did not want to be responsible for starting. However, if the North Koreans wanted war the US was making preparations for it. All the forces in Korea went to the highest state of alert DEFCON-3. Soldiers in the both the US and ROK Armies moved North to their battle positions, extra naval power was brought in, SR-71 flights were increased over North Korea to monitor troop movements, and F-111 bombers capable of dropping nuclear munitions were flown overnight from the United States to Korea.
This massive show of force by the United States had the desired effect of causing the North Koreans to take a defensive posture. SR-71 reconnaissance photos showed the entire North Korean country preparing for invasion. This had to have a psychological effect on the North Koreans because they had always trained and prepared for an offensive against the South Koreans and now here they were back on their heels.
With the military build up complete something had to be done about that tree. That tree stood as a challenge to all free men. It was decided that the tree must go. Here is more from the book Hazardous Duty:
Every operation needs a name and General Stilwell’s was appropriate: Operation PAUL BUNYAN. The key elements were surprise, speed of execution and withdrawal, and avoidance of direct engagement with North Korean troops. Our forces would include soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division, as well as ROK Special Forces and Recon troopers of the 1st ROK Division. Altogether, a force of 813 men would be involved. Task Force VIERRA (named for Lieutenant Colonel Victor Vierra, commander of the USASG) would conduct the actual tree cutting. The unit would include sixty American and ROK guards, divided in two platoons, armed with sidearms and pickax handles. The ROK men were Special Forces; each man was a Black Belt in TaeKwonDo. They would guard two eight-man engineer teams who would actually cut down the tree with chain saws. A truck-borne ROK reconnaissance company, armed with M-16 rifles, mortars, and machine guns, would be prominently deployed just outside the JSA: crack South Korean troops defending their own soil. They would be beefed up with American tube-launched optically tracked wire-guided (TOW) anti-tank-missile teams.
Vierra’s troops were backed up by other elements of the division, including a reinforced composite rifle company from the 9th Infantry Regiment, which would be orbiting aboard twenty Huey helicopters a few hundred meters south of the DMZ, supported by twelve AH-1G Cobra gunships. Tank-busting F-4 Phantoms would be prowling at a slightly higher orbit. F-111 medium strategic bombers would orbit still higher, and be clearly visible to North Korean radar.
To complete the demonstration of firepower, three batteries of American 105mm howitzers were to be moved across the Freedom Bridge north of the Imjin River. Another three batteries of ROK heavy artillery would be positioned just south of the river in clear view of North Korean positions. The gunners, Stilwell said, would have “rounds in the tube and hands on the lanyards.”
Operation PAUL BUNYAN was scheduled to begin at exactly 0700, the morning of Saturday, August 21, 1976.
At that precise moment, a massive flight of B-52 bombers from Guam would be moving ominously north up the Yellow Sea on a vector directly to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. In the Sea of Japan, Task Force 77.4’s aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Midway, would launch forty combat aircraft that would vector north above international waters.
The ROK Army Tae Kwon Do black belts were specifically selected by South Korean president Park Chung Hee himself to deal with any possible North Korean interference in the tree cutting.
UNC Soldiers Trim Tree Near the Bridge of No Return
A total of 13 chainsaws wielded by soldiers from the 2nd Engineer Battalion were used to cut down the tree. The first branch of the tree was cut at 07:18 and the entire tree cutting was complete by 07:45. Saving face is a very important social factor in Asia and after the tree cutting all that remained was the stump to remind the North Koreans of the extreme loss of face that had just received by the US and ROK soldiers.
In fact days later the North Koreans would offer a statement of regret for the incident and a plan was worked out to remove four North Koreans guard points south of the Military Demarcation Line. The massive US and ROK show of force had made the North Koreans back down, make concessions, and lose face. This was definitely not the result Kim Il Sung had expected.
Today where the stump once stood is marked with a plaque and the part of the tree that was cut down was once housed in the 2ID Engineer Brigade headquarters which this summer has deactivated and the tree was planned to be moved to either the Ft. Leonardwood Engineer Museum or the 2ID Museum on Camp Red Cloud.
Though today tensions may not run as high as they were on the DMZ in 1976, however the Panmunjom Axe Murder Incident should still serve as a reminder of the nature of the North Korean regime and the commitment of the United States military and the ROK Army to protect freedom and democracy on the Korean peninsula. The sacrifice by CPT Bonifas and 1LT Barrett is just another example that freedom is in fact not free, especially here in Korea.
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For more on Operation Paul Bunyan check out the following books:
