North Korea: The View From The DMZ

South Korean soldiers stand on guard as they face the North Korea side at the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone, South Korea. (AP)

President Bill Clinton once called North Korea, “the most dangerous place on earth.”

What separates it from the South is the DMZ, the two-and-a-half mile wide demilitarized Zone, with large contingents of battle-ready troops on both sides.

About one-quarter the size of Yellowstone park, but heavily mined and riddled with tunnels from the North, the DMZ is such a no man’s land that it has become a refuge for endangered plant and animal species. Some activists want to turn it into a nature preserve, but defense analysts like Bruce Bennett say that it’s still a theater for a possible war, and more likely, a highway for refugees and troops if North Korea collapses.

• RAND: Uncertain Times Ahead For North Korea
• Foreign Affairs: Kim Jong Un Takes The World’s Worst Job
• The DMZ Forum For Peace And Nature Conservation

Guest:

• Dr. Bruce W. Bennett, Senior Defense Analyst, Rand Corporation