Uncovering the secrets of Korea’s mysterious DMZ
- Text by Miss Rosen
- Photography by Park Jongwoo / Steidl

On June 25, 1950, Korea was torn apart by civil war. Though the fighting went on for 37 months, the war never ended, as both sides refused to sign a formal peace agreement. Instead, they constructed the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a 248 km long, 4 km wide buffer zone – the site of a fully armed Cold War that begins a mere 60 km from downtown Seoul.
Here, forests are filled with landmines and barbed wire fences, patrolled by military armed with rifles, the only weapons allows inside the DMZ. Civilians are prohibited from entering the DMZ, which unfolds like circles of hell, from the furthest areas of the Civilian Control Zone, all the way to the Military Demarcation Line, where the two nations stand in a 60-year face off.
In 2010, on the 60th anniversary of the war, the Korean Ministry of National Defense decided to make the first photographic record of the DMZ ever. Photographer Park Jongwoo was tapped for the job, giving him unconditional access to the South Korean Guard Posts (GPs) on the site, the results of which have just been published in DMZ: Demilitarized Zone (Steidl).

Camouflaged South Korean squad along the stream inside of the DMZ.
You might like

Jake Hanrahan: “Boys can cry, but we don’t all fucking want to”
Hard Feelings — In the latest edition of our column on masculinity and fatherhood, Rob Kazandjian speaks to the conflict filmmaker-journalist and Popular Front founder about his childhood, the found family and community at his Muay Thai gym, and the “complete counterculture” of ‘no rules’ fighting.
Written by: Robert Kazandjian

Euphoric portraits of queer joy and resistance at Trans Pride Brighton
Let us piss — Now over a decade old, the event grew to become Europe’s largest trans pride march. In a year when trans rights have come under the microscope more than ever, we went to this year’s edition, finding grassroots unity and collective rage.
Written by: Ella Glossop

Remembering the radical anti-nuclear Greenham Women’s Peace Camp
Life at the Fence — In the early ’80s, a women’s only camp at an RAF site in Berkshire was formed to protest the threat of nuclear arms. Janine Wiedel’s new photobook revisits its anti-establishment setup and people.
Written by: Miss Rosen

A new documentary traces the rise, fall and cratering of VICE
VICE is broke — Streaming on MUBI, it’s presented by chef and filmmaker Eddie Huang, who previously hosted travel and food show Huang’s World for the millennial media giant.
Written by: Ella Glossop

Warm, tender photos of London’s amateur boxing scene
Where The Fire Went — Sana Badri’s new photobook captures the wider support networks and community spirit around the grassroots sport, as well as the significance of its competitions to the athletes who take part.
Written by: Isaac Muk

We are all Mia Khalifa
How humour, therapy and community help Huck's latest cover star control her narrative.
Written by: Alya Mooro