When gardening nearly started a war between two nations

It was the summer of 1976, twenty-three years after the end of the war. Korean War and creation Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). In the demilitarized zone, soldiers on both sides of the divide operated under constant tension, their every move shadowed by the unspoken threat of conflict. Every detail mattered—every line of sight, every piece of infrastructure, every natural feature that could help or hinder surveillance. At the Joint Security Area (JSA), a neutral camp, a cottonwood tree appeared to obscure the view from nearby observation towers.

A team of American and South Korean employees were tasked with trimming the tree to restore good visibility. The initial attempt was met with objections from North Korean forces, who insisted that any development near the border required mutual consent. The second attempt was delayed due to heavy rain, making the task even more difficult. Determined to ensure the success of the mission, Captain Arthur Boniface, nearing the end of his time in Korea, decided to oversee the third attempt himself on 18 August.

The seemingly innocent task soon turned out to be disproportionate. As the crew began trimming branches, a detachment of North Korean soldiers arrived and demanded that the work stop. The captain paid no attention to the North Koreans and continued with the mission, tension quickly growing. The North Koreans launched a brutal attack, seizing axes and tools from the crew. In the brutal attack that followed, Captain Boniface and American Lieutenant Mark Barrett were mortally wounded.
Soon, sirens sounded and soldiers on both sides were alerted. Tensions escalated further when then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called for an attack on North Korean barracks as a way of retaliating for the killing of two American soldiers. However, logic prevailed, and military and political leaders decided that the best way to take revenge was to uproot the tree that the North Koreans loved so much. But they also knew that North Korea it is necessary to understand the power of the United States. Therefore, theoretically: Operation Paul Bunyannamed after the giant lumberjack and folk hero of American and Canadian folklore.

Statue of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il

On August 21, in a show of enormous force, hundreds of troops landed on the site, supported by tanks, fighter jets, attack helicopters and B-52 bombers. The US military deployed more than 300 troops, creating an overwhelming presence. Under the watchful eye of silent North Korean forces, the tree was quickly cut down without any intervention. The entire operation was completed in less than 45 minutes. Afterwards, North Korean leader Kim Il Sung expressed regret over the killing of two American soldiers, realizing that the scales had tipped heavily against them.