The Briefing Room
General Category => World News => Topic started by: TomSea on December 21, 2017, 05:17:38 pm
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'The scariest place on Earth': What it's like on the Korean DMZ, the world's most dangerous strip of land
Thomas Maresca, Special to USA TODAY
Published 3:51 p.m. ET Dec. 20, 2017 | Updated 10:13 a.m. ET Dec. 21, 2017
PANMUNJOM, Demilitarized Zone – The border between North and South Korea is one of the most heavily guarded stretches of land in the world — a band 2½ miles wide and 150 miles long dividing the peninsula since the Korean War ended in 1953.
The DMZ, littered with scores of mines and barbed-wire fences, is nightmarishly difficult to cross, except here in the Joint Security Area, a special buffer zone inside what is known as the “truce village†of Panmunjom, about 35 miles north of Seoul.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people visit the Joint Security Area for a chance to see North Korean soldiers standing at attention just dozens of feet away and to officially step into North Korean territory inside a United Nations-administered conference room that literally straddles the military border.
Continued at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/12/20/heres-what-its-like-worlds-most-dangerous-strip-land/964977001/ (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/12/20/heres-what-its-like-worlds-most-dangerous-strip-land/964977001/)
(https://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2017/12/20/USATODAY/USATODAY/636493555596207850-121917-Korea-border-DMZ-Online.png)
From the article too and it was during the presidency of Gerald Ford:
In perhaps the most notorious encounter between the North and South here, North Korean soldiers attacked a group of South Korean and U.S. soldiers who were pruning a poplar tree on Aug. 18, 1976. The North killed American Capt. Arthur Bonifas and Lt. Mark Barrett with axes and wounded several others.
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I've been to the DMZ...not as scary as the delicate USAT reporter makes it out to be.
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I saw it from the air on my ride in an F16 but they wouldn't let me go there on the ground. There are plenty of areas much scarier.
North Korea
Yemen
Pakistan
East St Louis
South Chicago
Tijuana
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I saw it from the air on my ride in an F16 but they wouldn't let me go there on the ground. There are plenty of areas much scarier.
North Korea
Yemen
Pakistan
East St Louis
South Chicago
Tijuana
We actually did a staff ride up there when I was in Korea in 2005. I'm with you...those places are much scarier.
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I saw it from the air on my ride in an F16 but they wouldn't let me go there on the ground. There are plenty of areas much scarier.
North Korea
Yemen
Pakistan
East St Louis
South Chicago
Tijuana
Made the drive from San Diego to Ensenada in 1998. TJ is one of the saddest sights I’ve ever seen.
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How heavily guarded are these other places that are scarier! :cool:
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You cross into North Korea, you'll be jailed for certain or at least, something along these lines. A lot of people go into Tijuana, Pakistan, even East St. Louis without any problems.
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Meh, parts of Chicago are much scarier.
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ISIS controlled area might be scarier.
At the DMZ, there is a risk of a full-scale conflict breaking out.
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You cross into North Korea, you'll be jailed for certain or at least, something along these lines. A lot of people go into Tijuana, Pakistan, even East St. Louis without any problems.
@TomSea
The average American can go to north Korea with no problems. Obey the rules, don't take unauthorized pictures and don't steal posters. Most likely you'll be fine. They need the tourist dollars. I'm not suggesting you go but many have.
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You cross into North Korea, you'll be jailed for certain or at least, something along these lines.
Unless you're this guy. He can be......
(https://s.yimg.com/lo/api/res/1.2/FBmCYOFdF2bdNnnA0qoi6Q--~B/YXBwaWQ9eWlzZWFyY2g7Zmk9Zml0O2dlPTAwNjYwMDtncz0wMEEzMDA7aD02MTY7dz00MDA-/http://media.liveauctiongroup.net/i/14052/14222046_1.jpg?v=8CF70C10EE4BD40.cf.jpg)
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ISIS controlled area might be scarier.
At the DMZ, there is a risk of a full-scale conflict breaking out.
That's true of the entire peninsula but until recently the threat was low. At the dmz you are safe because so much military is focused there. Stay away from the fence though.
He's not going to start a war until he can hit the US with a nuke or other wmd.
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Of course if you're lucky they might send a really hot agent to seduce you and try to get information. Really hot oh man was she hot.