The axe murder incident (Korean: 판문점 도끼살인사건, 板門店도끼殺人事件,도끼蠻行事件) was the killing of two United States Army officers by North Korean soldiers on August 18, 1976, in the Joint Security Area (JSA) located in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which forms the de facto border between North and South Korea.