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VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Palaner//palaner Single Event//EN
METHOD:PUBLISH
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:meetup-063be63121@palaner.app
DTSTAMP:20260802T150636Z
DTSTART:20260828T102000Z
DTEND:20260828T115000Z
SUMMARY:[Lecture] 'The Tree at Panmunjom'
LOCATION:서울시공익활동지원센터 Seoul Public Activities Center
DESCRIPTION:Saved in Palaner as: saved\n\nPalaner match: 22% · why: lots of
  people going\n\nLECTURE TITLE:\n'The Tree at Panmunjom: Memory\, Conflict
 \, and the Human Story Behind the 1976 Axe Murder Incident'\n\nSPEAKER: Je
 ffrey Miller\n\nDATE: Friday. August 28\, 2026. 7:20PM (Seoul)\n\nVENUE: S
 eoul Public Activities Center (SPAC\, 서울시공익활동지원센터). ‘다목적홀’ (For more infor
 mation\, see below.)\n\nSUMMARY:\n\nOn August 18\, 1976\, in the Joint Sec
 urity Area (JSA) at Panmunjom\, a United Nations Command work detail enter
 ed the area to trim a large poplar tree that obstructed visibility between
  checkpoints. What followed was a sudden and violent confrontation with No
 rth Korean forces in which U.S. Army officers Captain Arthur Bonifas and F
 irst Lieutenant Mark Barrett were killed with axes and several others were
  injured.\n\nThe incident marked a critical escalation in tensions on the 
 Korean Peninsula and prompted Operation Paul Bunyan\, a heavily coordinate
 d show of force involving U.S. and South Korean military assets. Although 
 the operation successfully removed the tree without further violence\, it 
 underscored the fragile balance that defined the Cold War era. Fifty years
  later\, the Axe Murder Incident remains a stark reminder of how quickly a
  localized conflict can escalate into an international crisis.\n\nThis pre
 sentation commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the incident by examini
 ng the historical event itself\, its geopolitical significance during the 
 Cold War\, and its lasting legacy. It will also explore the unique environ
 ment and rules governing the Joint Security Area\, while reflecting on the
  broader implications of the event within Cold War history and the human d
 imensions often absent from historical summaries.\n\nA central element of 
 the presentation is the speaker’s personal connection to this historical m
 oment. Having entered the United States Air Force in June 1976\, just two 
 months before the incident\, he shares a generational and experiential lin
 k to the time in which these events occurred. Years later\, that connectio
 n evolved into the writing of The Tree at Panmunjom\, a work of historical
  fiction grounded in real events but driven by human experience.\n\nRather
  than simply retelling the incident\, the novel explores the atmosphere of
  the DMZ in the 1970s\, the daily lives and tensions faced by soldiers sta
 tioned there\, the uncertainty and fear that accompanied even routine task
 s\, and the lingering impact of violence on those who survived. The tree i
 tself serves as a central symbol\, representing division\, conflict\, and 
 the unintended consequences of seemingly ordinary actions.\n\nThe fiftieth
  anniversary of the Panmunjom Axe Murder Incident offers an opportunity no
 t only to remember what happened\, but to reconsider how we understand it.
  History provides the facts\, but it is through stories that those facts t
 ake on meaning. By combining historical context\, personal reflection\, an
 d the story behind The Tree at Panmunjom\, this presentation invites audie
 nces to revisit a pivotal moment in Cold War history not just as observers
 \, but as participants in its ongoing legacy.\n\nBIO:\n\nJeffrey Miller is
  an American educator\, journalist\, and author who has lived in Korea for
  more than 30 years. He is the author of ten novels\, four of them set in 
 Korea and inspired by the country’s history and people. His work focuses o
 n the Korean War\, the Cold War\, the Korean Demilitarized Zone\, and Kore
 a’s remarkable transformation from the 1960s through the 1990s. As a journ
 alist\, he has written extensively about Korean history\, culture\, and so
 ciety. His latest historical novel\, The Tree at Panmunjom\, is based on t
 he 1976 Axe Murder Incident at the Joint Security Area\, one of the Cold W
 ar’s most dangerous confrontations. His writing explores the human experie
 nces behind Korea’s history\, bringing the people\, places of modern Korea
  vividly to life for readers around the world.\n\nADMISSION (Online & In-p
 erson):\nFree for RAS Korea Lifetime and Annual Members\; W10\,000 for Non
 -members\; W5\,000 for Non-member students (Student ID requested)\nIf you 
 would like to attend online Zoom\,\n\nRSVP by August 27 (Thursday). Zoom L
 ink Request\n☞ CLICK https://forms.gle/Wph2LcPywJ82CokP9\nWe will email yo
 u the link on the morning of the lecture day.\n\nFor Non-member\, payment 
 to be remitted to the following account:\n\nSHINHAN BANK ACCOUNT 100-026-3
 83501 (RAS-KB)\nTo attend in-person\, RSVP is not required.\n\nVENUE:\nSeo
 ul Public Activities Center (SPAC\, 서울시공익활동지원센터) is located at Yongsan Ver
 dium Friends 101 (용산베르디움프렌즈 101동) B1\, 40 Baekbeomro 99-gil\, Yongsan-gu\,
  Seoul.\n\nWalk 2-3 minutes from ‘Exit 8’ of Samgakji Station (LINE 6 & 4)
  and take the elevator down to the B1 Floor.
URL:https://www.meetup.com/royal-asiatic-society-korea-branch/events/315816
 587/
CATEGORIES:palaner,saved
STATUS:TENTATIVE
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