For those of you who don't know, the DMZ (or Demilitarized Zone) is the strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel. It is the most heavily guarded border in the world. (thank you, Wikipedia) It's also only about an hour by bus from Seoul.
The beginning of our tour took us to the Joint Security Area (or in Korean, Panmunjom), where North and South Korean soldiers stand face to face every day. The area is used by the two countries for diplomatic meetings. At one point our tour group was standing across from the main North Korean building, Panmungak, where a North Korean soldier was watching our every move through binoculars. We were told not to point or make any gestures in the direction of North Korean soldiers that could be used as propaganda, so during question time when a few members of our tour group forgot and starting pointing and gesturing, I freaked out a little bit. I had visions flashing in my head of the North Korean watching us whipping out a machine gun and blasting it in our direction. Luckily that never happened, and that was the only scary part of the tour.
The JSA - The conference buildings where the North and South hold meetings
Bonnie and I (and an ROK soldier) standing on either side of the Demarcation Line. Bonnie's on the North Korean side.
North Korean soldiers who came out to watch our tour group
The tour brought us to a few other historically significant spots, such as the site of the "Axe murder Incident" in 1976, where two U.S. Army officials were axed to death by DPRK soldiers while supervising a tree pruning. The tree was blocking sight lines between two security checkpoints on the JSA.
That was just one of many incidents that show the North Koreans haven't been holding up their end of the deal. The coolest part of the tour was crawling through "The 3rd Tunnel," one of four tunnels apparently designed for a surprise attack on Seoul from North Korea. North Korea first claimed they didn't dig it, but the direction of the dynamite blasts point towards South Korea. So then they claimed it was part of a coal mine, and there is actually black "coal" painted on the walls. However, experts have said coal is geologically unlikely in the area.
The last part of the tour took us to Imgingak, a park that was built around "Freedom Bridge," where at the end of the Korean war, 13,000 prisoners of war walked to freedom in the South. The story says that as they crossed the bridge, they cried out in thanks for their freedom, giving the bridge its name.
Because many families were separated after the war, the park was built to console those who are unable to return to their hometowns during important holidays, like this weekend's Lunar New Year. People come to the park instead and pray for their loved ones.
I've been living in Korea for almost a year and a half now, about an hour away from the North Korean border, yet in my day to day life here, North Korea doesn't affect me at all. When you live here, you forget that technically, the two countries are still at war. However, going on the tour reminded me of the reality of the situation. Families were separated, lives were lost, and the North Korean people continue to live in under a totalitarian dictatorship.
Man saying a prayer at Imjingak
Prayers for peace, reunification, loved ones at Freedom Bridge
More pictures of my DMZ tour here