The demilitarized zone that divides North and South Korea is one of the last remaining hot spots of the Cold War. More than a million heavily armed soldiers and minefields, artillery and barbed wire surround the zone. The U.S. has 37,000 troops in South Korea. They pay no taxes and are exempt from military service, but they have an 11 p.m. curfew. Only those living in the village before the Korean War or their descendants are eligible for residency.
Villagers grow rice, ginseng and red peppers.
There are 13 households, but inhabitants are rarely seen. The southern approach to the DMZ is protected by minefields and barbed-wire fences. Patrolled by South Korean forces. Late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung is believed to have ordered front-line units to dig tunnels under the DMZ for infiltrators.