Demilitarized zone (DMZ) | Korean Peninsula History, Map, & Significance

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class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/demilitarized-zone-Korean-peninsula">demilitarized zone</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/demilitarized-zone-Korean-peninsula/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/demilitarized-zone-Korean-peninsula">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/demilitarized-zone-Korean-peninsula/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/40/151340-050-A539E5FC/military-demarcation-line-woods-Panmunjom-North-and.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1503299/219629" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/40/151340-004-CCFCB90D/military-demarcation-line-woods-Panmunjom-North-and.jpg" alt="Demilitarized zone" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/31/151331-050-E46A9BC5/truce-village-Panmunjom-Korean-demilitarized-zone-1952.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1503299/221920" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/31/151331-004-217C507F/truce-village-Panmunjom-Korean-demilitarized-zone-1952.jpg" alt="Panmunjom “truce village”" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/151337-050-05082BB7/Lieut-Gen-William-K-Harrison-Jr-UN-July-27-1953.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1503299/160426" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/151337-004-BD5D520D/Lieut-Gen-William-K-Harrison-Jr-UN-July-27-1953.jpg" alt="Korean War armistice agreement" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/130516-050-443AA5C5/officer-Republic-of-Korea-Military-Police-Panmunjom.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1503299/126975" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/130516-004-62E73909/officer-Republic-of-Korea-Military-Police-Panmunjom.jpg" alt="Military police" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/125375-004-FEB52FA8/Checkpoint-3-Bridge-of-No-Return-Panmunjom-August-18-1976.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1503299/119498" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/125375-004-FEB52FA8/Checkpoint-3-Bridge-of-No-Return-Panmunjom-August-18-1976.jpg" alt="P'anmunjŏm: Bridge of No Return" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/241291-050-AB489A57/Locator-map-demilitarized-zone.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1503299/281368" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/241291-004-B13A3C5C/Locator-map-demilitarized-zone.jpg" alt="Demilitarized zone" height="50" /> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button 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Some Conservationists Worry Peace Could Disrupt It</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://achievement.org/achiever/wayne-thiebaud/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Academy of Achievement - Wayne Thiebaud</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: DMZ</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-10-31T00:00:00CDT" >Oct 31, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/demilitarized-zone-Korean-peninsula/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/1503299/02bc25c2e68d6925a85d86b786aa79a7" rel="nofollow">Satellite images show North Korea dug large border trenches after demolishing road, rail links</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Oct. 31, 2024, 7:37 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1018622"></span>demilitarized zone (DMZ)</strong>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/region-geography" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">region</a> on the Korean peninsula that demarcates <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Korea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">North Korea</a> from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Korea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">South Korea</a>. It roughly follows latitude 38° N (the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/38th-parallel" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">38th parallel</a>), the original demarcation line between North Korea and South Korea at the end of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="221920" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/31/151331-050-E46A9BC5/truce-village-Panmunjom-Korean-demilitarized-zone-1952.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/1503299/221920"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/31/151331-050-E46A9BC5/truce-village-Panmunjom-Korean-demilitarized-zone-1952.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/31/151331-050-E46A9BC5/truce-village-Panmunjom-Korean-demilitarized-zone-1952.jpg?w=300" alt="Panmunjom “truce village”" data-width="1600" data-height="1285" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">1 of 2</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/31/151331-050-E46A9BC5/truce-village-Panmunjom-Korean-demilitarized-zone-1952.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1503299/221920">Panmunjom “truce village”</a><span>The “truce village” of Panmunjom within the Korean demilitarized zone, 1952.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="160426" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/151337-050-05082BB7/Lieut-Gen-William-K-Harrison-Jr-UN-July-27-1953.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/1503299/160426"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/151337-050-05082BB7/Lieut-Gen-William-K-Harrison-Jr-UN-July-27-1953.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/151337-050-05082BB7/Lieut-Gen-William-K-Harrison-Jr-UN-July-27-1953.jpg?w=300" alt="Korean War armistice agreement" data-width="1600" data-height="718" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">2 of 2</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/37/151337-050-05082BB7/Lieut-Gen-William-K-Harrison-Jr-UN-July-27-1953.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1503299/160426">Korean War armistice agreement</a><span>UN delegate Lieut. Gen. William K. Harrison, Jr. (seated left), and Korean People's Army and Chinese People's Volunteers delegate Gen. Nam Il (seated right) signing the Korean War armistice agreement at P'anmunjŏm, Korea, July 27, 1953.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The demilitarized zone (DMZ) incorporates territory on both sides of the ceasefire line as it existed at the end of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Korean-War" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Korean War</a> (1950–53) and was created by pulling back the respective forces 1.2 miles (2 km) along each side of the line. It runs for about 150 miles (240 km) across the peninsula, from the mouth of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Han-River-South-Korea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Han River</a> on the west coast to a little south of the North Korean town of Kosŏng on the east coast. Located within the DMZ is the “truce village” of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Panmunjom" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Panmunjom</a>, about 5 miles (8 km) east of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Kaesong" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kaesŏng</a>, North Korea. It was the site of peace discussions during the Korean War and has since been the location of various conferences over issues involving North and South Korea, their allies, and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">United Nations</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="126975" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/130516-050-443AA5C5/officer-Republic-of-Korea-Military-Police-Panmunjom.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/1503299/126975"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/130516-050-443AA5C5/officer-Republic-of-Korea-Military-Police-Panmunjom.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/130516-050-443AA5C5/officer-Republic-of-Korea-Military-Police-Panmunjom.jpg?w=300" alt="Military police" data-width="992" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/16/130516-050-443AA5C5/officer-Republic-of-Korea-Military-Police-Panmunjom.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1503299/126975">Military police</a><span>Republic of Korea Military Police officer in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Panmunjom.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The areas north and south of the DMZ are heavily fortified, and both sides maintain large <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="contingents" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contingents" data-type="MW">contingents</a> of troops there. Over the years there have been occasional incidents and skirmishes, some of them quite serious. U.S. Pres. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lyndon-B-Johnson" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lyndon B. Johnson</a> was visiting Seoul in November 1966 when North Korean infiltrators ambushed an American patrol less than a 0.5 mile (800 meters) south of the DMZ. This incident sparked a <span id="ref1268722"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/low-intensity-conflict" class="md-crosslink ">low-intensity conflict</a> that claimed the lives of hundreds of Koreans and dozens of Americans over the next three years. Small arms and artillery fire became commonplace along the 38th parallel, and in 1967 U.S. commander Maj. Gen. Charles H. Bonesteel III asked the Pentagon to reclassify the area between the Imjin River and the DMZ as a hostile fire zone for the purposes of combat pay and decorations. The conflict reached its peak in January 1968, when a 31-man North Korean <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/commando-military-unit" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">commando</a> team crossed the DMZ and attempted to assassinate South Korean Pres. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Park-Chung-Hee" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Park Chung-Hee</a>. Days later, North Korean patrol boats <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Pueblo-Incident" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">captured the USS <em>Pueblo</em></a>, a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-United-States-Navy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">U.S. Navy</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/military-intelligence" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">intelligence</a> ship, and its 83 crewmen (one crew member died of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="wounds" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/wounds" data-type="EB">wounds</a> sustained in the initial attack on the ship, and the surviving crewmen were not released until December 1968). The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">United States</a> and South Korea responded by dramatically increasing <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/guerrilla-warfare/Counterguerrilla-warfare#ref53111" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">counterguerrilla</a> patrols along the DMZ; aided by a $100 million security assistance grant from the United States, South Korea completed an anti-infiltration fence that ran the length of the DMZ.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="119498" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/125375-004-FEB52FA8/Checkpoint-3-Bridge-of-No-Return-Panmunjom-August-18-1976.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/1503299/119498"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/125375-004-FEB52FA8/Checkpoint-3-Bridge-of-No-Return-Panmunjom-August-18-1976.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/125375-004-FEB52FA8/Checkpoint-3-Bridge-of-No-Return-Panmunjom-August-18-1976.jpg?w=300" alt="P'anmunjŏm: Bridge of No Return" data-width="550" data-height="327" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/125375-004-FEB52FA8/Checkpoint-3-Bridge-of-No-Return-Panmunjom-August-18-1976.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1503299/119498">P'anmunjŏm: Bridge of No Return</a><span>Checkpoint 3 at the Bridge of No Return, P'anmunjŏm, central Korea. A memorial to two U.S. officers killed in the so-called “tree-trimming murders” of August 18, 1976, was erected where the poplar tree at the centre of that incident once stood (lower left).</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Tensions rose again in August 1976, when a routine tree-pruning operation brought the peninsula close to open war. For several months out of the year, a poplar tree obstructed the view between a UN observation post in the Panmunjom Joint Security Area and a UN guard house known as Checkpoint 3 (CP 3) at the Bridge of No Return. CP 3 was a very short distance from the military demarcation line separating the North from the South, and it was not uncommon for North Korean soldiers to attempt to kidnap UN and South Korean troops who were posted there. For this reason, regular trimming of the poplar tree near CP 3 was a vital matter of security for UN forces. On August 18, 1976, two U.S. Army officers, a South Korean officer, a squad of enlisted men, and a crew of South Korean <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="auxiliaries" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auxiliaries" data-type="MW">auxiliaries</a> were dispatched to trim the tree. North Korean authorities in the jointly administered area had been made aware of the operation ahead of time and had registered no objections. When the tree-trimming crew and its military escort arrived, North Korean troops initially did nothing but watch. Suddenly, a North Korean officer ordered the operation to halt and called for reinforcements. Ignoring the order, the crew continued working. Then, without warning, the North Korean officer ordered his men to attack. Seizing axes from the work crew, North Korean soldiers murdered the two American officers and severely <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="wounded" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/wounded" data-type="EB">wounded</a> many of the UN troops. Days later, in an overwhelming show of force, the U.S. and South Korea launched Operation <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Paul-Bunyan" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Paul Bunyan</a> to complete the trimming of the tree. This time the mission was carried out by more than 300 troops, accompanied by overflights of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/B-52" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">B-52</a> bombers, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/fighter-aircraft" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">fighter aircraft</a>, and dozens of attack <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/helicopter" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">helicopters</a>. A stump was all that remained of the poplar tree, although this was eventually cleared for a memorial to Arthur Bonifas and Mark Barrett, the two American officers who had been killed.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="281368" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/241291-050-AB489A57/Locator-map-demilitarized-zone.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/1503299/281368"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/241291-050-AB489A57/Locator-map-demilitarized-zone.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/241291-050-AB489A57/Locator-map-demilitarized-zone.jpg?w=300" alt="Demilitarized zone" data-width="2000" data-height="2000" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/91/241291-050-AB489A57/Locator-map-demilitarized-zone.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1503299/281368">Demilitarized zone</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">It was long assumed by Western analysts that <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="provocations" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/provocations" data-type="EB">provocations</a> such as these had been conducted with the approval or at least tacit acknowledgment of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Soviet-Union" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Soviet Union</a>. Documents released after the collapse of the U.S.S.R., however, indicated that, in the wake of Soviet Premier <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nikita-Sergeyevich-Khrushchev" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nikita Khrushchev</a>’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/de-Stalinization" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">de-Stalinization</a> program, North Korean leader <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kim-Il-Sung" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kim Il-Sung</a> had been largely acting without Soviet support. This could explain why, in the wake of the Panmunjom axe murders, Kim took the unusual step of issuing an official statement of regret for the deaths of the Americans. As a result of the international backlash from communist and nonaligned nations typically sympathetic to North Korea, violent incidents along the DMZ dropped sharply over the subsequent decades.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Once farmland and subsequently a devastated battleground, the DMZ has lain almost untouched since the end of hostilities and has <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="reverted" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/reverted" data-type="EB">reverted</a> to nature to a large extent, making it one of the most pristine undeveloped areas in Asia. The zone contains many ecosystems including forests, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/estuary" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">estuaries</a>, and wetlands frequented by migratory birds. It serves as a sanctuary for hundreds of bird species, among them the endangered white-naped and red-crowned cranes, and is home to dozens of fish species and Asiatic black bears, lynxes, and other mammals. Barring a resumption of hostilities, perhaps the greatest threat to the wildlife in the DMZ is the presence there of more than one million <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/mine-weapon#ref4897" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">land mines</a> and other unexploded ordnance.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In mid-2007 limited freight-train service was resumed across the zone, but it was suspended a year later after a South Korean tourist was shot and killed by North Korean border guards.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; 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Demilitarized zone (DMZ) | Korean Peninsula History, Map, & Significance | Britannica