The Time the US Sent 813 Soldiers to Cut Down One Tree

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: South Korea, DMZ, United States (states), Korean axe murder incident
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Operation Paul Bunan, South Korea, United States (states), Joint Security Area
3. 6:00 – 7:51: Nebula, Operation Paul Bunan, Kimmel Sun, Scav

Notable quotes from "The Time the US Sent 813 Soldiers to Cut Down One Tree"

• Cut it down? Well, because to put it lightly, the early attempts to trim the tree hadn't gone very smoothly. This is the story of Operation Paul Bunan. One of the lesser…

  about Operation Paul Bunan · at 0:31

• Happens right here in the Joint Security Area, or JSA. It's a small village of sorts in the middle of the DMZ where there are offices and troops from both the North and South Korean armies as well as US soldiers with the UN command.

  about DMZ · at 1:57

• Once everyone retreated, Kimmel Sun tried to spin the story as an unprovoked attack on the North Korean army, but grainy film footage from nearby proved otherwise. President Ford knew he wanted.

  about Kimmel Sun · at 3:48

• F-111 fighter bombers, B-52 strata fortresses from Guam, dozens of F4 Phantom 2 jets, some of South Korea's F5 and F86 jets, 27 American helicopters, 23 trucks, some not so…

  about F5 jets · at 4:35

• Troops in Korea, which were put at Defcon 3, the same Defcon they'd later use after 9/11. They also rigged up nearby Camp Liberty Bell outside the JSA with a bunch of…

  about Camp Liberty Bell · at 5:44

• So proud of Scav. And the good news is you can watch the entire season right now on this video sponsor, Nebula. It's a streaming service I was involved in starting alongside a…

  about Nebula · at 6:55

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Kimmel Sun — Person · Referenced person · 2 mentions · first at 3:48
  Claimed to have planted the tree involved in the Korean axe murder incident.

Companies & orgs

• Nebula — Company · Referenced company · 2 mentions · first at 6:59
  Streaming service hosting exclusive content from the podcast creators.

Products & tech

• AH1 Cobra gunships — Product · Referenced product · 1 mention · first at 4:32
  Part of the military assets deployed during Operation Paul Bunan.
  Korean special forces guys bearing pistols and axe handles, they also brought along some AH1 Cobra gunships, F-111 fighter bombers, B-52 strata fortresses from Guam, dozens of…
• F-111 fighter bombers — Product · Referenced product · 1 mention · first at 4:32
  Part of the military assets deployed during Operation Paul Bunan.
  Korean special forces guys bearing pistols and axe handles, they also brought along some AH1 Cobra gunships, F-111 fighter bombers, B-52 strata fortresses from Guam, dozens of…
• B-52 strata fortresses — Product · Referenced product · 1 mention · first at 4:35
  Part of the military assets deployed during Operation Paul Bunan.
  Pistols and axe handles, they also brought along some AH1 Cobra gunships, F-111 fighter bombers, B-52 strata fortresses from Guam, dozens of F4 Phantom 2 jets, some of South…
• F4 Phantom 2 jets — Product · Referenced product · 1 mention · first at 4:38
  Part of the military assets deployed during Operation Paul Bunan.
  Brought along some AH1 Cobra gunships, F-111 fighter bombers, B-52 strata fortresses from Guam, dozens of F4 Phantom 2 jets, some of South Korea's F5 and F86 jets, 27 American…
• F5 jets — Product · Referenced product · 1 mention · first at 4:40
  Part of the military assets deployed during Operation Paul Bunan.
• F86 jets — Product · Referenced product · 1 mention · first at 4:40
  Part of the military assets deployed during Operation Paul Bunan.
  F-111 fighter bombers, B-52 strata fortresses from Guam, dozens of F4 Phantom 2 jets, some of South Korea's F5 and F86 jets, 27 American helicopters, 23 trucks, some not so…

Concepts & topics

• K-pop — Concept · Referenced concept · 1 mention · first at 1:51
  Used by South Korea as propaganda in the DMZ.
  How the South was depraved, and South Korea playing, among other things, K-pop. Tell me, which one would you defect to? But not all the tension is saved for the edges. Plenty…
• Scientific Watergate — Concept · Referenced concept · 1 mention · first at 7:24
  A scandal mentioned as part of the podcast's promotional content.
  Horrors of The Office Dinner Party, Bobby Broccoli's mindbending doc about the scandal known as Scientific Watergate, or well, any of these tons and tons of things. It's all…

Places & events

• Operation Paul Bunan — Event · Core topic · 3 mentions · first at 0:35
  A significant military operation in response to the Korean axe murder incident.
• South Korea — Place · Core topic · 3 mentions · first at 1:00
  Involved in the events surrounding the Korean axe murder incident and Operation Paul Bunan.
  Events that followed, we need to talk about the DMZ, aka the buffer zone between North and South Korea. In 1953, just over 20 years before the axe murders and the tree…
• Korean axe murder incident — Event · Core topic · 1 mention · first at 0:51
  The catalyst for Operation Paul Bunan, involving the murder of two US soldiers.
  Interesting, a thing that involved North Korea. Operation Paul Bunion was a direct response to what's known as the Korean axe murder incident. But to understand either that…
• United States (states) — Place · Core topic · 3 mentions · first at 0:00
  Involved in the military response to the Korean axe murder incident.
  On August 21st, 1976, the United States military in conjunction with the South Korean Army assembled one of the biggest, most dramatic peacetime shows of force in its history. Fighter jets,.
• DMZ — Place · Core topic · 2 mentions · first at 0:58
  The demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, central to the events discussed.
• Joint Security Area — Place · Core topic · 2 mentions · first at 1:57
  Location within the DMZ where the Korean axe murder incident occurred.
  Defect to? But not all the tension is saved for the edges. Plenty of it happens right here in the Joint Security Area, or JSA. It's a small village of sorts in the middle of…
• Camp Liberty Bell — Place · Referenced location · 1 mention · first at 5:48
  A military camp rigged with explosives as a precaution during Operation Paul Bunan.

Media & podcasts

• Scav — Media · Referenced media · 1 mention · first at 6:38
  A docu-series about a scavenger hunt, mentioned as part of the podcast's promotional content.
  Usually only I'm allowed to do. We're so proud of Scav. And the good news is you can watch the entire season right now on this video sponsor, Nebula. It's a streaming service I…
• Abolish Everything — Media · Referenced media · 1 mention · first at 7:08
  A comedy debate show mentioned as part of the podcast's promotional content.
  Favorite creators back in 2018. And it's now the exclusive home of tons of my projects like Scav, a comedy debate show called Abolish Everything, and a twisty road trippy…
• The Getaway — Media · Referenced media · 1 mention · first at 7:12
  A competition show mentioned as part of the podcast's promotional content.
  Now the exclusive home of tons of my projects like Scav, a comedy debate show called Abolish Everything, and a twisty road trippy competition show called The Getaway. But it…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 On August 21st, 1976, the United States military in conjunction with the South Korean Army assembled one of the biggest, most dramatic peacetime shows of force in its history. Fighter jets, helicopters, aircraft carrier battle group, trucks, guns, 813 men, plenty more on standby. And for what? What did this lethal fighting force do? They cut down a tree. To be more specific, a popular tree. a species that this woodworking blog describes as quote one of the softest hardwoods available. So why do you need a whole war machine to cut it down? Well, because to put it lightly, the early attempts to trim the tree hadn't gone very smoothly. This is the story of Operation Paul Bunan. One of the lesser discussed moments where the Cold War almost got very hot and as you could have assumed based on the fact that you're watching Half as Interesting, a thing that involved North Korea. Operation Paul Bunion was a

0:51 direct response to what's known as the Korean axe murder incident. But to understand either that incident or the events that followed, we need to talk about the DMZ, aka the buffer zone between North and South Korea. In 1953, just over 20 years before the axe murders and the tree operation, the North Korean army, the United States led UN command, and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army signed an armistance that formerly ended the fighting of the Korean War. It also created the DMZ or demilitarized zone. While North and South Korea had previously been divided by a clean border line right along the 38th parallel, the DMZ was well a zone about 2.5 mi or 4 km wide, not just dividing the two countries, but giving them some muchneeded space from each other. The zone, demilitarized on the inside, is still pretty fortified.

1:34 There's razor wire all around the edges and plenty of minefields. It's also always been pretty tense. Until 2018, both countries blasted audio propaganda over the edge of the zone and into the other country, with North Korea playing messages about how great they were and how the South was depraved, and South Korea playing, among other things, K-pop. Tell me, which one would you defect to? But not all the tension is saved for the edges. Plenty of it happens right here in the Joint Security Area, or JSA. It's a small village of sorts in the middle of the DMZ where there are offices and troops from both the North and South Korean armies as well as US soldiers with the UN command.

2:10 And even here, in a place that obstensively exists to allow peace talks, there's a military demarcation line holding the two sides back from physically fighting each other all the time. That's not a joke. Prior to the line, there were countless incidents of JSA violence, including people beating each other up, breaking arms, kicking throats, threatening with sticks. You get the picture. In fact, threats and violence were so common in the GSA that there were strict rules about what weapons were even allowed inside. An early deal in 1953 said each side could only have one gun. And while that number has gone up over the years, the number and type of weapons allowed and who's allowed to carry them and when has always been strictly limited, hence threatening with sticks. Hence, also a US policy that all the soldiers we sent there would be at least 6 feet tall. Because hey, if you can't carry a

2:54 gun, your next best weapon is the confidence of a very tall American man. It was a group of 10 such very tall American men along with five South Korean men of unknown height that went to trim a 40ft tall popppler tree within the JSA on August 19th, 1973. The tree was blocking the view between the UN command checkpoints among other things and both of the team's prior attempts to turn it had failed. The first because the North Koreans didn't agree to the trim and the second because of rain. The third time, despite seemingly having approved the trim, about 15 North Korean soldiers showed up and watched for about 15 minutes, then demanded they stop in part because they claimed Kimmel son had planted the tree himself. The team ignored them and kept going. Then about 20 more North Korean soldiers showed up with crowbars and clubs, and the lieutenant leading them ordered them to kill the tree cutters. The attack and

3:39 the ensuing fight were short but awful. Two of the Americans, including the one leading the team, were brutally murdered with their own tree trimming tools, and many of the rest were badly injured. Once everyone retreated, Kimmel Sun tried to spin the story as an unprovoked attack on the North Korean army, but grainy film footage from nearby proved otherwise. President Ford knew he wanted to retaliate, but it took a couple of days for the administration to figure out how. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger obviously was desperate to draw blood, but Ford was like, "Hold your horses, Kissy. What can we do that's just short of a war?" And so, Operation Paul Bunan was born. The idea was simple. cut down the tree, but do so in a way that one kept everyone doing it safe from further attack and two sent a loud and clear message to Kiml Sunsung that were not messing around over here.

4:25 So along with sending 16 US engineers to cut down the tree, defended by 60 South Korean special forces guys bearing pistols and axe handles, they also brought along some AH1 Cobra gunships, F-111 fighter bombers, B-52 strata fortresses from Guam, dozens of F4 Phantom 2 jets, some of South Korea's F5 and F86 jets, 27 American helicopters, 23 trucks, some not so allowed in the JSA heavy weapons and claymores hidden under sandbags in the trucks, and a partridge in a pear tree, which they also cut down. In all, there were 813 guys on the scene for this, even though only 235 US and South Korean troops were even stationed in the JSA.

5:02 Here's how it played out. At 7 a.m., the new larger ground team showed up to cut down the tree, shortly met with hundreds of North Korean troops who began to set up machine guns. Then, the commander of the convoy cued all the Justin helicopters to appear over the horizon, and the properly spooked North Koreans stood down because, you know, what else are you going to do? About 40 minutes later, all that remained of the tree was a 20-ft tall stump, and all the people walked away unharmed. Easy breezy. But the Americans and South Koreans were prepared for it to go much worse. Part of the reason it took 40 minutes was that they opted for chainsaws over heavier, more efficient tree cutting equipment, because chainsaws are easier to drop and run if things go sideways.

5:37 And at the ready if things went sideways, an aircraft carrier battle group off the coast and all 41,000 US troops in Korea, which were put at Defcon 3, the same Defcon they'd later use after 9/11. They also rigged up nearby Camp Liberty Bell outside the JSA with a bunch of explosives so if North Korea attacked or captured it, they could blow the place to smitherines. Luckily, it never came to any of that, and Kimmel Sun released a rare for North Korea statement of regret about the axe murders. The military demarcation line went down in the JSA to tamp down continued hand-to-hand hostility between the opposing sides. The popular stump got replaced with a memorial to the two axe murdered soldiers. And the planet got to keep the days since a world war ticker climbing up. So if you hadn't heard of Operation Paul Bunan before today, be grateful because while it's a YouTube fun fact fodder in our universe, there's a

6:24 parallel one not so far from here where it's Fran Ferdinand famous. And if you're not familiar with France Ferdinand, you are really not going to like what happened to him. Now, before we go, if you're into very elaborate approaches to seemingly trivial tasks, you may want to check out our new docu series, Scav. Earlier this year, our whole team headed to the University of Chicago to film their annual scavenger hunt, which is sort of like a normal scavenger hunt, except with helicopters, popes, whatever this is, and a guy named Danger, who threw knives at my writer Amy's head, which usually only I'm allowed to do. We're so so proud of Scav. And the good news is you can watch the entire season right now on this video sponsor, Nebula. It's a streaming service I was involved in starting alongside a few of my favorite creators back in 2018. And it's now the exclusive home of tons of my projects like Scav, a comedy debate show

7:10 called Abolish Everything, and a twisty road trippy competition show called The Getaway. But it doesn't stop there. Tons of creators have some of their best work on Nebula. Whether it's The Dinner Plan, Patrick Williams' short film about the horrors of The Office Dinner Party, Bobby Broccoli's mindbending doc about the scandal known as Scientific Watergate, or well, any of these tons and tons of things. It's all waiting for you on Nebula. And good news, in the month of December, you can get 50% off an annual subscription. And if you're not sure whether Nebula's right for you, we're currently offering a 3-day free trial. So head to the link in the description right now and sign up for Nebula, check out Scav, and see what else we've got going on. See you there.

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "The Time the US Sent 813 Soldiers to Cut Down One Tree"?

In order: 0:00 South Korea, DMZ, United States (states), Korean axe murder incident; 3:00 Operation Paul Bunan, South Korea, United States (states), Joint Security Area; 6:00 Nebula, Operation Paul Bunan, Kimmel Sun, Scav.

What is mentioned in this Half as Interesting episode?

20 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Operation Paul Bunan, South Korea, Korean axe murder incident, United States (states), DMZ, Joint Security Area. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "The Time the US Sent 813 Soldiers to Cut Down One Tree"?

The episode runs 8 min; the transcript is about 1,652 words in 11 timestamped sections.

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