The U.N. Command has fundamentally redesigned its Joint Security Area (JSA) orientation tour to remove access to the blue conference buildings that straddle the border, ending the decades-old practice of allowing visitors to take a few steps onto the North Korean side.

UNC’s deputy commander confirmed the overhaul in an interview with NK News, marking the most significant structural change to the program since it opened to foreign visitors.

“We’ve changed the orientation. You don’t go onto Conference Row anymore … and in fact we go to the top of Freedom House instead,” Lt. Gen. Derek Macaulay said.

The