May - Korean War Veterans Association

FREEDOM BRIDGE
We often receive questions at Graybeards Central regarding the bridges at
Panmunjom. A lot of them deal with how many there were, what purposes they
served, who “owned” them, whether they exist today, etc. So, we will do a series about
the bridge(s) to try and clear up the mysteries.
We begin with this entry from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (Access
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_No_Return for the full entry.) Please submit
your comments about these articles, your personal experiences, photos, etc., to help
us clarify the role of the bridge(s) in Korean War history
Bridge of No Return
Located in the Joint Security Area
(JSA), the so-called “Bridge of No
Return” crosses the Military Demarcation
Line (MDL) between North Korea and
South Korea. It was used for prisoner
exchanges at the end of the Korean War in
1953. The name originates from the claim
that many POWs captured by the United
States did not wish to return home. The
prisoners were brought to the bridge and
given the choice to remain in the country
of their captivity or cross over to the other
country. But if they chose to cross the
bridge, they would never be allowed to
return.
The last time the bridge was used for
prisoner exchanges was in 1968, when the
crew of the USS Pueblo was released and
ordered to cross into South Korea via the
bridge. The bridge was actively used by
the North Koreans up until the Axe
Murder Incident in August 1976, at which
time the United Nations Command
demanded that the MDL within the JSA be
enforced and clearly marked. Within 72
hours the North Koreans had built a new
bridge on the northern half of the JSA and
the Bridge of No Return was no longer
used.
The Military Demarcation Line runs
through the middle of the bridge. At the
end of either side of the bridge are guard
houses of the respective countries. The
North Korean building is called KPA#4,
while the United Nations Command
(UNC) checkpoint was called CP#3 (it
was abandoned in the mid-1980s).
CP#3, which is surrounded by trees,
was only visible from one other UNC site
during the summer months, OP#5 (now
renamed to CP#3). The North’s Korean
People’s Army (KPA) had made numerous
attempts to grab UNC personnel from the
old CP#3 and drag them across the bridge
into North Korean territory. Because of
this proximity to North Korean territory,
being surrounded on all access routes by
North Korean checkpoints, and repeated
attempts to kidnap the UNC personnel
working there, CP#3 was often referred to
as “The Loneliest Outpost in the World.“
As of 2003, the bridge is considered in
need of repair. According to a report on
CNN, the US government has offered to
fix the bridge or even replace it, but North
Korea has denied permission.[1]
The bridge is also portrayed in the
beginning of the James Bond film, Die
Another Day, where Bond and Zao are
swapped. (However, as the photos show,
there are no rows of concertina wire,
bunkers, machine guns, or spotlights anywhere
around the bridge, as depicted in
the movie). It was also portrayed in the
South Korean movie Joint Security Area,
where the shooting of two North Korean
guards becomes the focus of an investigation
and of the movie.
Operation Little Switch,
April 1953
This operation was a test case for prisoner
repatriation, one of the four main
issues of contention during two years of
negotiation. Six hundred five sick, wounded,
and/or injured UNC prisoners were
exchanged for 6,030 sick or injured
Communist prisoners.[2][3]
Operation Big Switch, April-
September 1953
Based on the success of the repatriations
undertaken earlier, a general
exchange of prisoners began in late April.
During Operation Big Switch, prisoners
were brought to Panmunjom, on the banks
of the Sachong River. Each prisoner was
then asked if he wished to cross the river
and return to his countrymen or remain
with his captors. Once the choice was
made there was no turning back—hence
the name Bridge of No Return.
During this time, 13,444 UNC prisoners
returned to UNC countries, and 89,493
KPA and CPV prisoners returned to their
countries. In March, 1953, a further
25,000 KPA soldiers held in ROKA camps
had been released into South Korea on
President Syngman Rhee’s orders in an
attempt to wreck the armistice negotiations.[4][5][6]
Release of the crew of the USS
Pueblo, December 23, 1968
On January 23, 1968, the USS Pueblo
was captured by North Korean naval
forces in international waters off the coast
of North Korea. After being held prisoner
for 11 months, the crew was released and
allowed to walk across the bridge while a
forced confession by the captain of the
vessel was broadcast over loudspeakers.
This action was the first in a series of
events that escalated tensions between
North Korea and the United States and her
allies.
Axe Murder Incident,
August 18, 1976
This was the killing of two United
States Army officers by North Korean soldiers
in the Joint Security Area, near the
Bridge of No Return, over the attempt to
trim a poplar that obstructed vision
between checkpoints, and heightened tensions
on the border. This was followed by
Operation Paul Bunyan, which ended in
the felling of the tree by ‘Task Force
Vierra.’
Ceremonies on the bridge
U.S. Army soldiers who are stationed
at Camp Bonifas or Camp Liberty Bell in
the Joint Security Area are offered the
opportunity to have their promotion or
reenlistment ceremonies held in the center
of the Bridge of No Return. The bridge is
split in half by the Military Demarcation
Line, which marks where North Korean
territory ends and South Korean territory
begins. During a U.S. or ROK (Republic
of Korea) ceremony, two guards are posted
at the Demarcation Line facing north.
57
The Graybeards
May – June 2010