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I've moved my photo site to here DMZ A few weeks ago myself and another teacher, Mike, visited the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). We arrived at the USO headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul at 7am and boarded the tour bus. The DMZ is about 40 miles north of Seoul. Our tour guide was a South Korean called Joseph. He gave us a commentary on the various landmarks on the drive up to the DMZ. The road stretches along the banks of the Imjin River, which is lined with one continuous eight-foot fence covered with razor wire and dotted with hundreds of military watch posts. The river itself is filled with nets and spikes and other obstacles to prevent North Korean soldiers or vessels from coming south. Huge signs bearing Korean letters face the North Korean side of the river, touting "Freedom" and "Democracy." At Imjingak, soldiers inspected the bus, and cleared it to drive the last couple of miles to the DMZ. Along the way, the bus passed under several concrete structures that are tank traps, which can be collapsed with dynamite to prevent enemy tanks from rumbling south. The first stop was Camp Bonifas, the UN camp, manned by South Korean and American soldiers. Camp Bonifas has a tiny one-hole golf course, surrounded on three sides by minefields. Sports Illustrated magazine visited a few years ago and dubbed it "the most dangerous hole in golf." From this point on two American GIs, who were our tour guides, escorted us. Then we transferred to a UN bus and had a short briefing about the DMZ and Panmunjom. The DMZ is a 2.5 mile wide area stretching across the Korean peninsula at the 38th parallel. We were then driven the short distance to Panmunjom. Panmunjom is the name of the Joint Security Area in the middle of the DMZ where any face to face meetings take place. Any dignitaries crossing the border pass through here. It is jointly manned by North Korean soldiers and UN soldiers. There are certain restrictions about the weapons allowed on each side. We entered the South Korean Freedom House at Panmunjom and exited at the rear to face the North Korean administrative building. The tension here was palpable; we were warned not to make any gestures towards the North Korean soldiers in their olive green uniforms. They were standing beside us yards away from the actual demarcation line, the international border. More than 50 Americans, 1,000 South Koreans and countless North Koreans have died in skirmishes along the DMZ in the past 40 years. We were allowed to take photos at this point, one of the few places where we were allowed to do so. We were then ushered into the Armistice building, a small one storey building that straddles the border. A table in the centre of the room marks the border and is the location for any face to face negotiations. So you could stand with one leg in North and the other in the South. The North Koreans soldiers showed no emotion at all and maintained taekwondo stances throughout! Then it was on to a drive by the Bridge of No Return, the location where soldiers in the Korean War returned to their respective sides, never to return. Also beside the Bridge of No Return is the location of a plaque marking the site of the 1976 Axe Murder Incident. An UN operation to cut down a tree obstructing the view from a UN observation point was stopped by North Korean soldiers and a fight ensued resulting in the axing to death of two US soldiers. We then had a tour of the 3rd Infiltration tunnel, discovered by the South Koreans in 1978. The tunnel originated on the North Korean side of the DMZ, made its way under the border and was well into the southern DMZ before it was discovered. The North Koreans collapsed the tunnel on their retreat, and it’s blocked off after a few hundred yards or so it wasn’t very interesting. Our tour guide showed us the direction of the dynamite holes pointing out the obvious fact that the tunnel was dug from North to South. Then it was on to the Dora Observatory Point, a hilltop post overlooking the DMZ and North Korea. We could look through telescopes at the hills in North Korea, knowing we were being watched, but could not take photographs until we were well behind a yellow line, out of sight of any North Korean observers. We could see the North’s propaganda signs saying ‘Yankees go home’. Apparently they broadcast propaganda at night time through giant loudspeakers. Of course the South have their own signs, proclaiming ‘Peace, Freedom, Democracy’, ‘Land of 10 million cars’ etc. Our last port of call was Dorasan Railway Station, the last station on the Southern side. The railway and motorway run right up to the DMZ and stop, waiting for the North to finish their sections to Pyongyang under a recent agreement between the countries. For the tourist, the DMZ is a place of incredible tension at times, mixed with moments of hilarity. Although there are souvenir shops and other tourist related paraphernalia, you have to remember all the time that it’s not a normal tourist destination as such. Apparently there are up to one million soldiers lined up on either side of the DMZ in readiness for hostilities. So even though the chances of an invasion from the North have diminished recently, you would not think it after visiting the DMZ. Technically the countries are still at war, as there was no peace treaty signed in 1953, only an armistice truce. Our tour guide, Joseph was excellent despite his biased commentary at times and his assumptions made about reunification. Check out the DMZ photographs |
Links A message board for the foreign contingent in Cheonan where I live North Korea official government site.. this is hilarious!!
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