1.
(MUTE) AERIAL VIEW Demilitarised Zone around Panmunjom
0.10

2.
LV & CU Troops & officials enter intercept tunnel (2 shots)
0.26

3.
CU PAN FROM Machine gun at entrance TO INT. of intercept tunnel
0.30

4.
SV PAN UP INT. of tunnel
0.40

5.
TRACKING SHOT Inside tunnel to end wall with bore holes in it
0.54

6.
CU Bore Holes
1.01

7.
SV Three South Korean soldiers walk in line abreast along tunnel
1.09

8.
GV PAN Along line of flags on hillside marking route of tunnel
1.19



Initials BJB/1907



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: South Korean soldiers have discovered a tunnel drilled from the north of the demilitarised zone down which they claim 30,000 attack troops an hour could have moved.

The tunnel begins 2,300 meters (yards) to the north of the demilitarised line and when discovered had a further 300 meters (yards) to go before reaching the southern edge of the demilitarised zone and 200 metres (yards) beyond that before it would have reached a strategic exit point.

The South Koreans were alerted to its presence in November 1973 when one of their soldiers heard muffled underground explosions.

In December 1974 they drilled 45 exploratory holes over the estimated position of the tunnel. Ten of them hit the tunnel.

In March this year the South Koreans began digging a tunnel to intercept the North Korean tunnel. By the 24th of the month the two tunnels had intersected 800 metres south of the northern edge of the demilitarized zone.

The attack tunnel was extremely well built with electric lighting and railway tracks to take away the granite dug from the tunnel.

Seven South Korean soldiers were killed by booby traps when clearing concrete obstructions from the attack tunnel.