Panmunjeom (P'anmunjŏm) in Gyeonggiprovince is a village on the border between North and South Korea, where the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War was signed. The building where the armistice was signed still stands, and straddles the Military Demarcation Line, which runs through the middle of the Demilitarized Zone. It is considered one of the last vestiges of the Cold War.
Being at the centre of one of the world's most tense military and political fault lines, Panmunjeom has been the location of numerous high profile incidents. In 1976, North Korean guards attacked a United Nations Command work party with an ax, killing two American officers. In 1968, the crew of the captured U.S.S. Pueblo crossed through the village via the so-called 'bridge of no return' when they were returned to American forces after 11 months in custody. A number of defections have taken place over the years.
Several tunnels underneath the vicinity of the village, allegedly built by the North Koreans for use in a surprise attack, were discovered in the 1970s.
Panmunjom is the "truce village" that straddles the border between North Korea and South Korea in the middle of the Demilitarized Zone that has split this peninsula since the Korean War ended in 1953.
One of the main attractions in Panmunjom is a visit to the powder-blue, one-story building where officials from the two sides meet occasionally.
A conference table covered with green velvet is placed directly over the border line, and the microphone cable that runs down the middle of the table is officially recognized as the international border.
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