Panmunjom as an Escape Route to Freedom during the Cold War: Examining the Cases of Exile from the Communist Camp in the 1980s

Abstract

This study analyzes the process and significance of the Czechoslovakian Orszag exile case (1981), the Soviet Union Matuzok exile case (1984), and the Zuo Shiokai exile case (1989) that took place at Panmunjom in the 1980s. As a characteristic shared by the three exile cases, first, the three people from communist countries attempted to escape the communist camp through the experience of détente and free will despite the intensification of the second cold war and chose Panmunjom as the escape route to the United States, their final destination. Second, following the unprecedented escape from the communist camp, an international mechanism for the transfer of refugees was was established through an initial issue that connected the Republic of Korea, the United States, and the United Nations. Third, despite the intense fighting in Panmunjom, the global shifts brought about by the collapse of the bipolar Cold War system, hosting of the Seoul Olympics, and the continuation of inter-Korean dialogue for humanitarian projects and economic exchanges prevented the exile cases from escalating into a serious confrontation. During the Cold War, Panmunjom served as both a place for dialogue and an exit to freedom.