The History of Panmunjom

Among the provisions of the Armistice Agreement signed July 27, 1953 was establishment of the Military Armistice Commission (MAC), an agency to supervise implementation of the truce terms.  Meetings of MAC representatives from the United Nations Command and the Korean People's Army/Chinese People's Volunteers are held at the Joint Security Area, an 800 meter-wide enclave, roughly circular in shape, that bisects the Military Demarcation Line separating South and North Korea.  The spot where the truce talks were held during the Korean War was originally located 1 km north of the present place.  At the time, it only consisted of four straw roofed houses, two temporary buildings used for meetings, and three temporary barracks. The name of the place originated from the name of a small store (jeom) located nearby.

Panmunjom is located near the west end of the 155-mile truce line and represents the partition of Korea.  This area is located 62 km northwest of Seoul and 215 km south of Pyongyang.  Officially called the 'Joint Security Area' (JSA) it is also called the "Truce Village" and is a special area outside administrative control of either South or North Korea.  Panmunjom was a village destroyed in the war, but gained lasting fame as the site where the Armistice Agreement was negotiated, even though it was actually signed by the opposing commanders, General Mark W. Clark, Commander- in-Chief, UNC, east of Munsan south of the DMZ and by Marshal Kim Il Sung, KPA Supreme Commander, and Peng Teh-huai, Commander, CPV, at Kaesong in the north.  [UNC Headquarters were actually located east of Munsan at what was later to be known as Camp Pelham.  General Mark W. Clark's office was located in a Quonset hut where he sat at his own desk, which became a museum piece and was toured around the country and displayed at various places up to as late as the 70's.  The building was later designated 'Armistice Hall' and had a sign erected on it.  Courtesy of Ken Leighty, 5 May 2009]  Panmunjom is only 800 meters in diameter. The U.N. and North Korea sides each operate 6 guard posts and 35 security guards reside inside.  Since the axe murder incident on August 18, 1976 by North Korean soldiers, security guards are forbidden to cross over to the opposing side's area.
 

The major buildings in the JSA are set squarely on the MDL, which bisects the center of what used to be a  green-felt-covered conference table, now replaced with a newer wood table (summer 2004) inside the MAC Conference Room, building T2. Since the Commission headquarters of each side is located outside the conference area -- in Seoul for the UNC and in Kaesong for the KPA/CPV -- both sides maintain a Joint Duty Office at the JSA to provide continuous liaison. The JDOs meet to pass communications from the senior member or secretary of their sides.

Military Police of both sides provide security for the JSA with guard forces of no more than 35 security personnel on duty at any given time. The administrative facilities for both guard forces are located within the JSA.

Freedom House
The new Freedom House (photo on right) was constructed on July 9, 1998.  It provides facilities for North-South contacts, meetings and exchanges, and houses the Liaison Office with North and South Korea.  It is the building the tour groups enter to get to the blue buildings and to enter building T2.  The new Freedom House was taller than the old, in fact it was taller than the opposing North's Panmungak Pavilion building.

Also found in the JSA are the offices and conference room for the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC). The 1953 Armistice established the NNSC as an independent, fact-finding body outside the authority of, but reporting to, the Military Armistice Commission. Originally it was composed of senior officers from four nations, which did not have combatant forces in the Korean War, two of whom are selected by each side. Sweden and Switzerland were nominated by the United Nations Command; Czechoslovakia and Poland by the KPA/CPV. The Czech component was forced out by the DPRK early in 1993. The Polish component was forced out by the DPRK early in 1995. The NNSC members are assisted by administrative personnel from their own countries. Camps for the Swedish and Swiss members and their staffs are located in the southern half of the DMZ adjacent to the JSA. The former Polish and Czech camps which were located nearby on the north Korean side of the MDL, have been taken over by the KPA and are now used for other purposes.

Military and civilian guests are permitted to visit the JSA as guests of the respective sides. Currently, the United Nations Command (UNC) sponsors nearly 100,000 visitors each year, most of them tourists who come on visits arranged by the Korea Tourist Bureau or military personnel whose visit is encouraged to ensure their better understanding of the situation in Korea. The KPA/CPV also bring guests, but these number less than 10,000 annually.

Panmungak Pavilion of North Korea
The Panmungak Pavilion, the large building located on the North Korean side of the JSA, was built in September 1969 as a two-story building (photo on left) 80 meters north of Freedom House.  It was and still is used as a waiting room for North Korean representatives before a MAC conference and the tour groups.  It also serves as an office for North Korea's security guards.  When the new South Korean Freedom house was built in 1998, which stood taller than the North's Panmungak, the North quickly erected a third story to their building (photo to right) in order to make it taller; ever fighting over who is bigger, badder... and taller.

Military Armistice Commission (MAC)
The Military Armistice Commission (MAC) has held secretary's meetings, joint duty officer's meetings, and general meetings for observation of the Armistice Agreement since its signing. General meetings have been suspended since a Korean Army General was assigned as the Chief Representative of the UNC on March 25, 1998.  Instead of the general meeting, Army General's Meetings have been held since then.  Informal contacts have been held between the UNC and the North Korean Panmunjom mission since May 1994.  Joint duty officer meetings can be called by either side. The Military Demarcation Line (MDL) of the Joint Security Area runs through the middle of Panmunjom and even the meeting buildings.  The line of microphone wires on the table of the conference room traces the path of the MDL.