Joint Security Area - Layout

Layout

While the boundary has remained the same over the years, the buildings have changed. Some have been removed, including all of the KPA checkpoints on the southern half of the JSA, new ones have been built, and others have just been renovated or expanded. The only boundary change of the Joint Security Area was the enforcement of the dividing line within the JSA after the murders of two American officers in 1976. Prior to this, the entire area was a neutral area, where members of either side had free movement within the JSA.

Since the enforcement of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) within the JSA, several UNC checkpoint buildings have also been rebuilt and/or renamed as well. Examples of this are what was called Observation Post (OP) No. 5 on the hill overlooking the Bridge of No Return, is now Checkpoint (CP) #3, while what used to be called CP#3 (and sometimes called "The Loneliest Outpost in the World") was the UNC checkpoint at the southern end of the Bridge of No Return. After the enforcement of the MDL however, the North Koreans no longer had a road leading into the JSA, and within 72 hours, built what has now become known as the "72 Hour Bridge" (or "Bridge of 72 Hours").