Guard posts in South Korea

A front-line guard post in the South and North in the DMZ(비무장지대). It is located in the most dangerous area in Korea.So it has a special feature that is different from the usual guard post. It consists of a bunker-type guard post and has small-scale personnel.

Details

Since 1963, North and South Korea have competitively installed guard posts (GPs) where armed soldiers are stationed at all times within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), while some GPs and GPs have been equipped with barbed wire fences. In 1953, the DMZ was established under an agreement at the time of the end of the war, and soldiers were banned from entering the DMZ. As a result, the North has the status of a police officer named Min Kyung-dae and the South as a "DMZ Police," but the substance is armed soldiers on both sides.

Originally, the Demilitarized Zone was literally a place where armed personnel should not come in, but after the Korean War, the two Koreas built civilian and police posts and stationed troops within the DMZ area they were managing. Until the late '90s, search squads of the front division were stationed, and then search squadrons under the direct control of the regiment were stationed. However, depending on the situation of the GP unit, the division's search squads are stationed.

Compared to the GOP in the front-line area, it is often confused with the GOP due to its low recognition. GOP stands for 'General Out Post' and refers to a general front post guarding the Southern Limit Line. To put it simply, GPs are in the DMZ and GOPs are in charge of outside the DMZ. Due to the specificity and security of GPs, there is little exposure to the private sector such as the media. As the 530GP incident took place, it became known to the public in earnest. While producing DMZ documentaries on Korean broadcaster KBS, he visited GPs and search teams in person with the cooperation of the military and covered them, which is the only data that is easily accessible to the general public. However, this is also not revealed in detail because of security. There are also differences in troop levels. The GOP guard is a general soldier, and the GP guards are considered elite soldiers as search soldiers.

GPs face the danger of unconfirmed land mines in the DMZ (unarmed areas) and around 2KM on average, limiting the movement of GP residents and limiting the number of visitors due to the danger of provocation. As a result, DMZ operations and visitors are required to obtain permission from the United Nations Command in advance, and those who have not gone through the Defense Ministry's background checks cannot enter the GP. In addition, GOPs are free to stay out overnight and take vacations, but GPs are not allowed to stay out overnight except in special cases during the input period. Unlike ordinary units, fatigue levels during work are high, and CCTVs are installed in closed environments and GPs, so all actions are regimental and divisional. As can be seen in the military, mental fatigue is also high. Of course, GP employees get a lot of vacation time when they withdraw.

The western front is flanked by GPs from the north and south, bordering the wide plain area along the Imjin River. The scenery is beautiful and the road situation from the GOP to the GP is smooth. In the case of the eastern front, most of them are very close to the North Korean GP and located in rough mountains, so the roads are twisted and unpaved. It has a different environment depending on the front.

GP Search Soldier

The search squadrons and search squadrons carry out DMZ guard missions over a period of time. A few months of training in the rear, months of guard operations at GPs. As a result, platoon troops are dispatched to each GP. The job of the search soldiers is to monitor the DMZ and patrol the DMZ. Most GPs are located on the top of the mountain for visibility. Therefore, it is very difficult to carry out search operations and guard operations in the DMZ with heavy bulletproof suits, various ammunition, grenades, and bayonets. From the moment they are put into GPs, their fatigue is enormous, as all the actions they do are real military operations, so they are always fully armed. They are supplied with a lot of equipment as high-quality human resources. New supplies will be given top priority and various special equipment will be provided to individuals.

Soldier

Due to the specificity of the unit in charge of GPs, there is an opportunity to apply to the search team and search company during the boot camp training period. Afterwards, the team will be selected based on the results of the training center and interview scores, and it will not be possible to transfer to the unit.

Cadre

They are selected through support, just like soldiers. The commander of the unit shall select based on the records, and if there are no personnel, the unit may be forcibly moved at the discretion of the commander. If it is advantageous for promotion due to GP characteristics and has a history of guard operations for GPs, there are significant benefits in long-term service screening, so executives who want long-term service usually go.

Facility

Most of Korea's GPs were built in the 1970s and 1980s, when construction technology was incomparable. Since it is an old facility, there are many places that are older than ordinary facilities. The military is making various efforts to detect and improve these shortcomings.

Accident

GP shooting incident

On June 19, 2005, at the 530GP of the 28th Infantry Division of the Republic of Korea Army in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, Army private Kim Dong-min threw a grenade with a pin released at the interior office and fired a gun, killing eight people and injuring two others, which is well known to the Korean public as the "Kim Il-byeong Incident." The main cause of the incident was severe absurdity, and the military's culture of irrationality has disappeared since the "Kim Il-byeong Incident."

2018 GP Private First Class Gun Death

On November 16, 2018, a private was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the bathroom of the GP of the front division of the eastern front of Yanggu and died while being taken to a hospital. The squad leader, who moved to the scene after hearing the shooting, found Private Kim and took him to a nearby hospital, but died around 17:38.

2018 GP Demonstration withdrawal

On July 24, 2018, the Ministry of National Defense decided to withdraw GP equipment and troops on a trial basis. On November 11, all 11 guard posts were withdrawn. Mutual verification of demolition of the South and the North was completed on December 12. This is the first time that the 9.19 military agreement has been implemented and verified.

Among the withdrawn GPs, Cheorwon GP, where the Arrowhead Hill, where the Battle of Arrowhead Hill took place in 1952,1953, and Jangdan GP, west of Dora Observatory, are open to the private sector and can be visited in advance.

2020 GP Shooting Incident

On May 3, 2020, he fired a GP of the 3rd Division of the Republic of Korea Army in Cheorwon-based in Gyeonggi Province. GP workers listened to gunshots three times in a row. Four bullets and bullets were found on the outer wall of the GP in Korea. Against this backdrop, the South Korean military fired warning shots with 15 K-3 machine guns and 15 K-6 machine guns.