When the Korean War began on June 25, 1950 — exactly 67 years ago this weekend — it sparked a conflict that would simmer long after the war officially ended in armistice in 1953. That long-running tension was the subject of a 1960 examination by LIFE magazine on the 10th anniversary of the war’s onset, which captured one of the “endless series of small but meaningful disputes” along the North-South border in the photographs seen here.
As the article explained, a demilitarized zone (DMZ) of 4,300 yards separated the Communist forces in the North from the U.N. forces in the South, with strict regulations governing what could be allowed inside the buffer area. In this particular instance, U.N. forces had noted “North Korean troops building a suspicious-looking concrete fortress inside the DMZ” and, after a meeting was called to discuss the matter, American representatives were asked to figure out what it was. The North Korean forces refused to allow inspection of the structure, going so far as to hold objects in front of the sight-lines of Americans’ binoculars.
After about an hour of “wrangling,” the photographer reported, the two sides went their separate ways, adding one more item to the list of “unresolved issues” at the border.
Today, nearly seven decades after the DMZ was established, that infamous buffer zone still exists and remains one of the world’s tensest borders.
Soldiers meeting of Joint Observe team at demarkation line, Korea, 1960.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesNorth Korean soldier accompanying Communist members of Military Armistice Commission at treaty-violation meeting, 1960.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesOuttake from Korea DMZ photo essay, 1960.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Argument begins as U.S. Lieut. Colonel Jeffrey Smith points over barbed-wire boundry and tells North Koreans (right) he wants to see building.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Protesting inspection. Korean (at right) stretches arm over wire in an attempt to prevent U.S. sergeant from using artillery spotting glasses to get better look at disputed structure. "Tell him to pull his arm back," Colonel Smith told North Korean commanding officer, "or we'll cut it off." John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Blocking view of Americans, a North Korean sergeant raises his cap over binoculars as a U.S. major (right) steadies platform against Red shoving. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Grabbing American. North Korean commander reaches across wire to pull down Colonel Smith's arm as he tries to take look at fortification with his own field glasses. Koreans had claimed building was only a shelter for their troops against weather, that slit windows were not for guns but for ventilation.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Telling off Korean. Colonel Smith points fingers at Communist lieutenant colonel in charge of red team says, "If you touch me again, I'll slug you." At right, surrounding their commander, is staff of North Korean officiers. At left, peering over Colonel Smith's shoulder are two South Korean observers. After an hour of wrangling, the meeting broke up and the violation was added to other unresolved issues awaiting settlement by armistice commission at Panmunjom.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesOuttake from Korea DMZ photo essay, 1960.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesOuttake from Korea DMZ photo essay, 1960.John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
