Feature: Tensions build up on silent 38th parallel between two sides of Koreans

After the United States dispatched four F-22 stealth fighters to South Korea to flex its muscles and show stronger U.S.-South Korea alliance, tensions are building up around the seemingly tranquil military demarcation line between the two sides of the Koreans.

During a two-and-half hour trip from the capital city Pyongyang to Panmunjom, where the armistice agreement was inked in 1953 between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the U.S.-led UN Command, visitors must be accompanied by guides and produce their IDs and written approvals at four checkpoints.

All seemed quiet at the the extremely guarded land border between the two sides of the Koreans, despite simmering speculations of an armed conflict after South Korea vowed to counter Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test and long-range rocket launch and the United States started to deploy strategic weapons to South Korea.

A 29-year-old soldier who guided the tour gave the visitors a detailed introduction about the facilities on both sides of the demilitarized zone. Nam Dong Ho, a military officer at the border, accompanied the tour.

On Feb. 10, Seoul decided to withdraw all businesses from the Kaesong industrial complex, which has been regarded as a symbol of North-South economic cooperation and an indicator for inter-Korean ties.

In response, Pyongyang turned the complex into a military control area and cut off a hotline at Panmunjom used for contacts between the two sides.

"After the hotline was off, they (South Korea and the United States) would come before the demarcation line and inform us of their plans for troops training, etc., via loudspeakers," the guide said.

During the visit, no South Korean broadcasts could be heard from the balcony of Panmungak, a building on the DPRK side.

Previous media reports said that loudspeakers were put up by the South along the border to mount psychological impact on the DPRK army and folks.

The broadcasts, according to South Korean media, include K-pop, propaganda about South Korea's democracy and development as well as the DPRK's human rights record.

"In other parts close to the military demarcation line, you can hear the psychological warfare broadcasts," Nam said.

Asked about the possibility of a war on the Korean Peninsula, Nam said the DPRK loves peace, but if it were attacked by the United States and South Korea first, the DPRK army will absolutely fight back.

"A small and accidental event can evolve into a full-scale war," he warned.

On the six-party talks, Nam said the United States is to blame for failing to honor its commitments in the joint statement and for constantly setting preconditions for the DPRK to resume the talks.

On the closure of the Kaesong industrial zone in which South Korean businesses employed more than 53,000 DPRK workers, Nam said the move by the South Korean government was "unanticipated."

South Korean President Park Geun-hye Tuesday told Parliament that more intensive and effective measures will be rolled out to punish Pyongyang for its nuclear project, which was widely seen as shifting away from pursuing a "confidence-building process" in her earlier years in office.

Meanwhile, Seoul and Washington have started to enter negotiations about the deployment of Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to South Korea, which may further escalate tension and increase complexity on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

Annual military drills jointly staged by South Korea and the United States are slated for March and April, which are said to be the largest ever drills between the two military allies.

The chances of conflicts loom bigger as the set date for the start of the exercises on March 7 is drawing near.

"We are closely monitoring their movements," he said, "as past experience shows a real war might be sparked from war games." Endi