South Korea: No Longer Forgotten

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Before the Pueblo hijacking last January, many of the 50,000 American troops stationed in South Korea referred to Korea's Demilitarized Zone as the "forgotten front." After the recent military buildup on both sides of the zone and the expansion of North Korean terrorism, few Americans stationed there feel forgotten any longer. Though it hardly resembles its Vietnamese counterpart, the Korean DMZ has become an active battlefront.

Along the Communist border, North Korea's General Bong Hak Ho has arrayed 180,000 troops, many of whom make regular forays into the South to ambush American and South Korean units; last week they killed two soldiers —one of them an American—and wounded five more. Ho is also training a special force of 2,400 commandos who operate in small teams, slipping across the border for hit-and-run sabotage and terrorism. Watching for them on the southern side are 12,000 U.S. troops of the 2nd Division, who guard the 18.5-mi. American sector, and 250,000 South Korean troops, who patrol the rest of the 151-mi. DMZ. To help slow down the Communists, an 11-ft.-high chain-link and wire fence runs the length of the zone; it remains under constant surveillance by U.S. and South Korean troops, who hole up in sandbagged guardposts with grenade launchers and submachine guns. Originally the guardposts were merely lookouts but, points out Captain Harold J. Daub of the 2nd Division, "they are fighting positions now."

Little Nibbles. Troops manning the guardposts must skimp along on only four or five hours of sleep a night, live on C rations and accustom themselves to an eerie and tense life during their temporary duty. There is seldom any enemy to be seen—only small Communist guardposts on the opposite hills. The terrain is rough with stumps, harsh inclines and thick, scrubby bushes. Thousands of white herons, pheasant, deer and bobcats rustle through the undergrowth, sometimes tripping flares or detonating Claymore mines. North Korean loudspeakers blare constant propaganda. When American and North Korean patrols spot each other across the zone, they regularly shout obscenities back and forth in the other's tongue.

At night the shooting begins—sometimes sporadic potshots across the DMZ, sometimes concentrated bursts from infiltrators on probing missions. Some infiltrators like to throw stones at guardposts or flick small flashlights to distract the occupants or draw fire so that they can see where gun emplacements are set up. "We get little nibbles all the time," says Captain Daub.

Bonuses & Basketball. Still, the morale of U.S. troops remains high. One reason is a $65-a-month pay bonus that goes to troops who spend at least six days during the month along the DMZ. Behind the lines, U.S. troops live in Quonset-type barracks and enjoy plenty of movies and recreational facilities, including gymnasiums with basketball courts. In the nearby town of Sangpa-ri, they can buy a drink and find friendly feminine companionship. Another morale booster is the growing action itself. "When you get soldiers involved in an operation," says Lieut. Colonel Frank Romano, "their morale soars. They don't like boredom."