The tense situation on the Korean peninsula may be the world’s most urgent security challenge. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman visited one of the conflict's most recognized flashpoints: Panmunjom in the Korean demilitarized zone.
Tense Standoff Continues for 60th Year in Korean DMZ
![U.S. Army Private First Class Brian Dors of of the United Nations Command Security Battalion-Joint Security Area, April 17, 2013. (VOA/S. Herman)](https://gdb.voanews.com/51B9AA50-CCF6-43AC-979F-7C61A9545345_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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U.S. Army Private First Class Brian Dors of of the United Nations Command Security Battalion-Joint Security Area, April 17, 2013. (VOA/S. Herman)
![A roadblock in South Korea at Paju where unauthorized traffic is prohibited from heading into the DMZ, April 17, 2013. (VOA/S. Herman)](https://gdb.voanews.com/02548CC8-9D64-4F06-AC48-E1B381DA0CB3_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A roadblock in South Korea at Paju where unauthorized traffic is prohibited from heading into the DMZ, April 17, 2013. (VOA/S. Herman)
![Two South Korean soldiers outside the T1 building which straddles South and North Korea, April 17, 2013. (VOA/S. Herman)](https://gdb.voanews.com/E6C5322E-9E82-43C8-BF0E-65F067B2759D_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Two South Korean soldiers outside the T1 building which straddles South and North Korea, April 17, 2013. (VOA/S. Herman)
![A hilltop North Korean observation post in the DMZ, April 17, 2013. (VOA/S. Herman)](https://gdb.voanews.com/9ECD8188-10CD-406E-A72A-C8AD911EF655_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A hilltop North Korean observation post in the DMZ, April 17, 2013. (VOA/S. Herman)