Wrapping Up the DMZ Tour

Ok, so I got my sleep. Here’s the rest of the tour. After lunch, we high-tailed it to Panmunjom. In Panmunjom is the Joint Security Area (JSA) which straddles the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The MDL passes through the center of the negotiating table in T2, the Military Armistice Commission Building.

Here’s the table:













The three microphones split the table in half. I took this uneven picture from North Korea.

Here's a ROK soldier.



















Here's another one. This guy was so tensed up he farted. Just kidding, it was me.













Here's my feet, standing in North Korea. Yes, I did iron my pants. Thanks for noticing.




















And here's me with my back to Lil' Kim's. (Technically, it's accurate, Kim Jong Il is only 5'2" or 157 cm tall.)














In this next picture, on the steps of the big building, you can barely see a North Korean Soldier. I gave him the bird, but my hand was in my pocket when I did it. I'm not a total idiot... No, the South Korean soldier is not in a time out, they stand guard like that to minimize their exposure to the North. They get all up on the wall like that and stand guard.













On to how Camp Bonifas got its name. A tree was blocking the South Korean side view of the checkpoint at the Bridge of No Return, so a work party went out to trim back the branches. Here's the monument that was put up after the attack by the North Koreans on the work party:















Here's what the monument says:

“On this spot was located the Yellow Poplar tree which was the focal point of the Ax Murders of two United Nations Command Officers, Captain Arthur Bonifas and 1st Lieutenant Mark Barrett, who were attacked and killed by North Korean Guards, while supervising a work party trimming the tree on 18 August, 1976.”

And finally, here's the "Bridge of No Return." It's the spot where all Prisoners of War were repatriated after the end of the Korean War. This bridge is the only ground link between Seoul and Pyongyang.