The village witnessed the ups and downs of the Korean peninsula's history
Panmunjom, where the armistice agreement was signed after the Korean War, witnessed another important milestone in the history of North and South Korea when officials from the two countries met today, January 9, after a long period of frozen relations.
Today, January 9, for the first time in more than two years of tension, senior officials from North Korea and South Korea met face to face for official talks at the truce village of Panmunjom in the inter-Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) - the place that separates the border between the two countries. After witnessing the signing ceremony of the armistice agreement ending the Korean War (1950-1953), Panmunjom is the only place in the DMZ where North Korean and South Korean soldiers face each other every day. In the photo: "Peace House" in Panmunjom village - where talks between South Korea and North Korea took place today, January 9. Photo: Getty
In Panmunjom, there are six white and blue houses along the inter-Korean border and also meeting rooms shared by the two countries. In the photo: South Korean soldiers stand outside the meeting room of the Military Armistice Commission of the United Nations Command in the DMZ. Photo: AFP
When the joint meeting rooms in the truce village of Panmunjom are used by the South Korean side, North Korean soldiers often look through the windows to monitor the developments inside. Photo: Getty
Officials from North and South Korea can meet inside the houses in the truce village of Panmunjom, and tourists can also visit the area. North Korean soldiers also occasionally take photos of the rooms when the South Korean side uses them. Photo: Getty
Minutes from meetings of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC), the inter-Korean border peace watchdog, are placed in a mailbox in a meeting room in the truce village of Panmunjom. Photo: Reuters
The tables used by North and South Korea to sign the armistice agreement on July 27, 1953, in the village of Panmunjom. Photo: AFP
Outside the rooms in the truce village of Panmunjom, North Korea often employs workers to clean under the supervision of guards. Both North and South Korean militaries have a presence in the DMZ, with tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides. Photo: Getty
Workers cut grass on the North Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom. Photo: Reuters
The “Bridge of No Return” in Panmunjom was used for prisoner exchanges. They could choose to go to either North or South Korea across the bridge under the 1953 agreement, and once they made their choice, they were never allowed to return to the other side. Photo: Getty
Life in Panmunjom and the surrounding villages continues as normal. Shops are still open, children go to school and farmers go to their fields. But the tension is still present in the area. Pictured: North Korean soldiers walk past a propaganda poster in Panmunjom. Photo: AFP
South Koreans watch a television news report on North Korea's missile launch inside a shop near the village of Panmunjom. Photo: Getty
In the village of Daeseong-dong, south of the demarcation line that divides North and South Korea in the DMZ, a special school has been built for South Korean children. The children attend school under the close supervision of South Korean soldiers. Photo: AFP
Daeseong-dong is the only village in the DMZ that civilians can live in. Here, American soldiers often attend school graduation ceremonies. Photo: Getty
Tourists can reach Panmunjom by train. Pictured: Outside the entrance to Dorasan Station - the northernmost stop on the South Korean rail system. Photo: Getty
Tourists visit the heavily guarded meeting rooms in Panmunjom. Photo: Getty
Tourists take photos at Panmunjom. Photo: Getty
Security cameras show images from the third tunnel, one of four tunnels built by North Korea to smuggle troops into South Korea. Tourists can visit this area. Photo: New York Times
The observation deck at Panmunjom allows tourists to look out towards North Korea. Photo: Getty
Souvenirs for sale in the DMZ Photo: Getty
As one of the most heavily armed border areas in the world, the DMZ is heavily equipped by the South Korean and North Korean militaries with minefields, barbed wire fences, electronic fences, surveillance cameras and military checkpoints. Photo: Getty
South Korea and North Korea have both set up a hotline in the truce village of Panmunjom to communicate if necessary. Photo: Getty
