Gunilla von Hall

Facebook0Tweet0Pin0LinkedIn0Email0Shares0 Like a Horror Movie It is Monday, August 16, 2021. Hassina Syed, who is 41, is in central Kabul when her mobile phone rings. Her friend screams, shouting into the receiver: “Take your bag and run! They are here and they will kill you.” Hassina Syed acts quickly. “I ran as fast as I could.” She sees people around her doing the same, dressed in business suits, dresses, and office uniforms. The air is filled with fear and confusion.

The Swiss military contingent on the tense border between North and South Korea is keenly aware that the smallest mistake can be disastrous for humanity. Still they keep calm, a neutral force in a conflict that is far from over. For more than six decades, Swiss soldiers have been based on the border between North Korea and South Korea, known as the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). Despite its name, it is in fact the most militarised zone in the world.

Colonel Beat Klingelfuss, second in command at the Swiss base on the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, describes some of the key patrol points and locations in the area. In the background, the so-called "noise war" between North Korean propaganda and South Korean attempts to drown it out can be heard.