The 25th plenary meeting of the Military Armistice Commission (MAC) convened in October 1953, and the representatives of the UN and Communist forces agreed to establish the JSA inside the Military Armistice Commission Headquarters Area (MACHA), which is on the MDL, to operate MAC going forward. This resulted in the establishment of an oval area measuring 800m wide by 400m long to serve this purpose. Initially, soldiers from both sides stood guard together in the JSA, but the area was divided in the wake of the "Axe Murder Incident" on August 18, 1976. Since then, soldiers from the UN side have guarded the south side of the MDL, while soldiers from the Communist side have stood on the north side. However, the leaders of the two Koreas during the 2018 summit conference in Pyongyang agreed to ensure free movement and demilitarization inside the JSA. The guard posts were sealed, and weapons were no longer carried inside Panmunjom. The negotiations for free movement are still under way.

The story behind Panmunjom

Panmunjom was not the site where the Korean War armistice talks began. The initial discussions for a ceasefire convened on July 8, 1951 at Naebongjang (來鳳莊), a luxurious restaurant in north Gaeseong. The talks were suspended after the North Korean army engaged in deliberate provocations in the vicinity. The UN demanded the site be moved, and the North Korean side offered to relocate it to a small rural village called Neolmun-ri. The UN side accepted that proposal, and the liaison officers from both sides met on October 22, 1951, agreeing to resume the suspended truce talks there.

The conference venue at the new location was set up in a soybean field in front of an establishment that doubled as a tavern and a shop. The shop signboard was written in Chinese characters for the convenience of Chinese delegates, and it read Panmunjom (板門店), with pan (板) being the Sino-Korean equivalent for neol, or “plank,” and jeom (店) meaning “shop” or “tavern.”

Passageway across the barrier

Panmunjom was the only way to travel directly between the two Koreas after the signing of the Armistice Agreement in 1953 until the opening of the east and west rail lines on the Korean peninsula in 2000. About 82,000 North Korean and Chinese POWs and 13,000 UNs POWs were exchanged through Panmunjom between August 5 and September 6, 1953. On the civilian front, members of separated families and art troupes have passed through Panmunjom to visit the other side. Chung Ju-yung, the late founder of Hyundai, made two visits to the North in June and October 1998, accompanied by a total of 1,001 head of cattle. Today Panmunjom is no longer the only way for people from the South to visit the North because the old Seoul-Sinuiju road was reopened on the western side of the peninsula and an overland route was opened on the east coast.

From military area to venue for inter-Korean dialogue and meetings

Panmunjom has functioned as a venue for the inter-Korean meetings since the first Red Cross talks were held there in 1971. Representatives from the two Koreas met 376 times at Panmunjom to discuss military, economic or sports issues between 1971 and 2006. The inter-Korean talks were held at the NNSC HQ, Freedom House or Panmungak on the North Korean side during the 1970s and 1980s. Peace House on the South Korean side or Tongilgak on the North Korean side have served as the venue for inter-Korean talks since the 1990s.

Tourist attraction symbolizing peace on the Korean peninsula

Panmunjom has emerged as a historic site for furthering the cause of peace since 2018. An inter-Korean summit took place on April 27, 2018 at Peace House, inside Panmunjom. The Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification, a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations, was announced at the conclusion of this summit. The inclusion of "Panmunjom" in the official name of the declaration helped to promote the site as the starting point toward peace. The Pyongyang Joint Declaration and Comprehensive Military Agreement announced on September 19, 2018 states that the actual demilitarization of the DMZ is now being pursued. Panmunjom was back in the global spotlight in June 2019, when the leaders from two Koreas as well as from the U.S. met here, and a U.S. President stepped onto North Korean soil for the first time in history. Those events have made Panmunjom a symbol for peace on the Korean peninsula. Peace House, where the Inter-Korean summit was held, Freedom House, where the U.S. and North Korean heads of state met, and Foot Bridge, on which the leaders of the two Koreas walked together, have become tourist attractions for domestic as well as foreign visitors.