the Guardian Balloon wars and troop incursions have led to a rise in uncertainty along the militarised buffer and left international observers nervous
By Jan Camenzind Broomby in Panmunjom and Justin McCurry
Just a stone’s throw from North Korea, farmer Park Se-un tends to his crops under the watchful eye of the South Korean military. In the distance, past the bushes and fields strewn with landmines, he can see North Korean soldiers on patrol.
Park’s village of Daeseong-dong is the only inhabited area in the south of Korea’s demilitarised zone (DMZ), located just 365 metres from North Korea at its closest point. Born and raised inside this zone, Park is used to the political tensions that shape his everyday life.
Described as “the scariest place on earth” by Bill Clinton when he visited as president in 1993, the DMZ has served as a buffer between the two Koreas since their three-year conflict ended in 1953 with an armistice but not a peace treaty – meaning that the neighbours are still technically at war.
It has since become one of the most reliable indicators of the state of inter-Korean affairs and in recent weeks, events along the border suggest the region has entered a new period of tension and uncertainty.
Read Full Article Here…(theguardian.com)
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