James Bond movie to radio war: Facts to know about border between Koreas

North Korea has decided to “permanently seal” the border with South Korea and completely cut off all road and train connectivity with its archrival while further fortifying the areas along one of the most militarised international boundaries in the world.

Officially known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the border between the two Koreas has even become part of popular culture in the form of bestselling novels and Hollywood movies, like the 2002 James Bond hit Die Another Day.

The Korean peninsula, located between China and Japan in northeast Asia, is divided between the two independent countries. They have been at each other’s throats since the Korean War (1950-53) in which China and North Korea fought against US-led UN forces.

There is little cross-border trade or even people-to-people contact. In fact, both countries are still technically at war.

That’s because the war came to a stop through an armistice—a formal but nonpermanent agreement to end fighting—that created the so-called DMZ, a buffer zone between the two Koreas.

Each side considers itself the “sole legitimate representative” of the entire Korean peninsula.

Area-wise, the DMZ is 250-kilometre long and two-kilometre wide.

Often called a “no man’s land”, the DMZ has become a global symbol of division as well as peace. As one of the most politically charged and heavily guarded regions on earth, it continues to serve as a reminder of the unresolved legacies of war.

Here are five fascinating things about this unusual border area.

The ‘village’ of diplomacy

At the heart of the DMZ lies the Joint Security Area (JSA), a section where the North Korean and South Korean forces are stationed face-to-face.

Within the JSA is the truce village of Panmunjom, whose distinctive bright blue buildings are used as liaison offices and conference halls.

This area is the only portion of the DMZ where direct negotiations between the two sides have taken place.

It was at Panmunjom that the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed and, as such, it continues to be a key site for inter-Korean talks.

Until recently, tourists from both sides of the border would visit Panmunjom to witness soldiers from the two countries standing face-to-face just a few metres apart.

The blue conference rooms that straddle the Military Demarcation Line (MDL)—which is the formal name of 1953 the ceasefire line—allow visitors to technically “cross” into North Korea, at least while inside these buildings.

The infiltration tunnels

Beneath the DMZ lies a hidden story of conflict and espionage. In the 1970s, South Korea discovered a series of so-called infiltration tunnels dug by North Korea under the DMZ.

Likely intended for potential invasion routes, the most famous of these was the Third Infiltration Tunnel, which was discovered in 1978.

North Korea insists that the tunnels were meant for coal mining.

The Third Infiltration Tunnel, nearly a mile long, is large enough to accommodate 30,000 troops with weapons within an hour. Located only two kilometres from the UN Forces Forward Base, it was the closest of all tunnels to Seoul—a fact that caused “significant shock and uproar” at the time of discovery.

Visitors can tour part of the tunnel system, which now serves as both a historical site and a reminder of the ongoing tensions.

The Bridge of No Return

Another significant structure within the DMZ is the Bridge of No Return. Located within the JSA, the bridge was used for prisoner exchanges at the end of the Korean War.

It gained its name because prisoners who crossed the bridge were given a choice: stay in the country they were in or cross the bridge to the other side, with no possibility of ever returning.

While no longer used for prisoner exchanges, the structure still stands as a symbol of the division between the two sides. The bridge can be visited—but not crossed—by adventurous tourists.

In 2016, Seoul-based UN Command accused North Korea of “laying landmines” near the northern end of the bridge.

The DMZ is supposedly littered with landmines even though thousands of troops stand guard on both sides of the zone.

A de facto nature reserve

Thanks to the absence of all human activity, the DMZ has become a haven for wildlife. Over the seven decades, the buffer zone has evolved into a de facto nature reserve, hosting a wide variety of flora and fauna.

Endangered species like the Amur leopard, Asiatic black bear and Red-crowned crane are thought to inhabit the area.

The strip of land is one of the most well-preserved temperate habitats in the world, with mountains, prairies, tidal marshes, lakes and swamps. Over 2,900 plant species, 70 types of mammals and 320 kinds of birds have been identified in the DMZ.

Conservationists have advocated for transforming parts of the DMZ into an official wildlife sanctuary.

Theatre of (propaganda) war

For decades, North Korea and South Korea have engaged in propaganda warfare across the DMZ.

One of the most famous symbols of this effort has been the “loudspeaker wars” where both sides blare propaganda broadcasts aimed at the other across the border.

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye said in 2016 the loudspeaker broadcasts were the “most effective form of psychological warfare”, which encouraged North Koreans to “defect to freedom” in the South.

These broadcasts were designed to demoralise soldiers and civilians on the opposite side as each country claimed the superiority of its political system.

Following North Korea’s introduction of border loudspeakers in 1962, the other country also embraced the tactic as part of its propaganda campaign. This practice continued until 2018 when both sides agreed to suspend and remove the speakers during a brief détente under South Korea’s previous government.

But South Korea renewed its loudspeaker broadcasts along its border with North Korea in July in response to North Korea’s barrage of trash-laden balloons sent southward.