The Panmunjom Ax Murder Incident

Along the border of North Korea and South Korea, there is an area called the demilitarized zone or DMZ, for short. This area acts as a space between the two countries, which have remained hostile against each other for more than sixty years. Despite the misleading name, the area is lined with soldiers on both sides. What is occurring there is something of a posturing stand off. There is open hostility from the North Korean and South Korean soldiers and personnel in the DMZ that occasionally erupts into violence. Some soldiers and personnel from the United States are allowed in the DMZ and they have been caught up in some of the violence - most memorably during the 1976 Ax Murder Incident.

In the DMZ, there is an area known as the Joint Security Area or Panmunjom. There is an invisible military demarcation line through this area. In the past, there has been some leeway concerning how far over the line members of each side's security detail were allowed to cross. This all changed on August 18, 1976.

In August of 1976, a group of men was appointed to go out on "Operation Paul Bunyan." This operation would take them over the military demarcation line and into North Korea. They were going to remove branches from a tree next to the "Bridge of No Return." These branches were blocking the line of site from a South Korean guard post. Apparently, the tree had been trimmed on previous occasions with no problems on either side. On August 18, 1976, Operation Paul Bunyan began. A group of two U.S. military officers, one South Korean officer and eight U.N. security workers went over the line, presumably expecting a brief landscaping mission.

When the group representing the South Korean side arrived at the tree, a group of North Koreans told them to leave. The U.S. military officers ignored their demands and continued with Operation Paul Bunyan. This angered the leaders of the South Korean group, who allegedly ordered their men to attack the group and kill the United States officers. The Americans and South Koreans were outnumbered by a great deal. Despite the fact that their attackers were only armed with axes, none of them escaped uninjured and three were brutally murdered. Both of the United States officers were among the dead. Their names were Major Arthur G. Bonifas and Lieutenant Mark T. Barrett.

The 1976 Ax Murder Incident was filmed by a corporal in a nearby building. In the film, you can clearly see the North Koreans attacking the men involved in Operation Paul Bunyan. They even attacked one of the officers while his back was turned. Pandemonium broke out as the enraged group of North Koreans wielding axes attacked, but it was quickly over. In the United States, there was debate over how to retaliate. It seems some officials thought the U.S. should bomb North Korea. This idea was nixed.

Three days after the Ax Murder Incident, a large group of ROK (South Korean military) and U.S. troops crossed the military demarcation line in Panmunjom. Their mission was to remove the offending tree completely. They were accompanied by numerous military aircraft. Unlike their predecessors, they were able to complete their mission without incident. Since that time, the military demarcation line has become more strictly enforced, but hostilities still erupt sporadically.

Sources

Joint Security Area (Panmunjom), retrieved 12/17/10, lifeinkorea.com/culture/dmz/dmz.cfm?Sunject=jsa2

Operation Paul Bunyan, retrieved 12/17/10, globalsecurity.org/military/ops/paul_bunyan.htm