The DMZ & JSA

On Wednesday was the much anticipated Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and Joint Security Area (JSA) tour. I won't go into the full history of the Korean War, but it is something that we all have learned about and watched from a distance, and this tour definitely gave us more information and understanding about the North/South Korean conflict.



We scheduled a full day to head to the DMZ and Panmunjom, which happened to be on my birthday (not ideal, but it was the only date available). We weren't as "on-edge" as I thought we'd be given North Korea's current events, but it was still a bit tense at times given how close we were to the border.

The Military Demarcation Line winds 155 miles across the Korean Peninsula, and is surrounded by the DMZ, a buffer zone ceasing all military and hostile action. Under the Armistice Agreement, both sides pulled back 2km (1.24 miles) from the last line of military action to insure peace.

We went about 73 meters underground through the Third Infiltration Tunnel, which was discovered in 1978 and clearly designed for a surprise attack on Seoul. They say the tunnel is capable of moving 30,000 soldiers, plus their weapons per hour! Four tunnels have been discovered but there are believed to be many more that the military is still searching for.

We walked about 265 meters until we stopped and looked through a tiny window to see the North Korean side of the tunnel. That was definitely eerie!  No photographs were allowed as this is still a heavily guarded area.

Next we stopped at the Dora Observatory where usually we'd be able to see much of North Korea including  Kaesung City, the second largest city of North Korea, but due to the gloomy weather we saw nothing but fog. However, we did hear North Korea's propaganda music blasting across the border, which again was quite creepy!

We were told that in return, the South blasts K-pop music, soaps, and weather reports to tempt the northern soldiers to listen.

Our third stop on the tour was the Dorasan Station. This is the northernmost stop on South Korea's railway and the closest station to North Korea on the Gyeongui line. The train station was the only place where North and South Korean's worked peacefully. However, the station is now shut now.

Us pretending to hop a train to Pyeongyang.

Our last stop on the DMZ tour was at Imjingak Park, located in the city of Paju which is 10km from the Military Demarcation Line. A bridge crossing the Imjin River was used to exchange prisoners of the Korean War, and so it is called "The Freedom Bridge".

The Gyeongui Train Line, destroyed in the War in 1950.

The Freedom Bridge...and Kiel.

Mangbaeddan is a memorial for those separated from their families to bow to their loved ones

After lunch we hopped on a different tour bus to head to the JSA. We drove into Camp Bonifas (again, no pictures were allowed), a camp named after Army Capitan Arthur Bonifas who was killed by North Korean soldiers in the Axe Murder Incident.

A guard checked our passports and made sure everyone was wearing the appropriate clothing before we were escorted into an auditorium to watch a quick video and sign wavers, basically saying that the military "cannot guarantee the safety of visitors in the event of a hostile enemy attack." We signed our lives away and then head over to the JSA and conference room.

This part of the tour felt pretty surreal. We were all lined up in front of famous blue UN buildings, with guards on either side at in an intimidating stance, and one North Korean soldier ahead of us at the Panmungak building.

We were then escorted into the conference room where Military Armistice meetings have been held. There were two soldiers, one at the head of the conference table and another in front of the door to the North. We were instructed not to touch the tables, stand at arms length of the soldiers, and do not stand behind the soldier at the door. We had about 3 minutes to take all the pictures we could.

To the left of the cement line is North Korea

Once we walked around to this side, we were technically in the North. The soldiers wear sunglasses to look intimidating and not seem distracted by everyone around. 

Should we be smiling?!

North Korea in the distance. The gloomy weather really set the tone.

We never felt unsafe or afraid while standing on the border of North Korea, even though (silly photo's aside), the atmosphere and interactions that day were serious and intense at times. But it was certainly an unforgettable experience.

Exhausted, we sought out some birthday cake but I happily settled for cheesecake and mango shaved ice (go figure they were all out of '3' candles so I turned 21 again).  Kiel took me to dinner for dumplings and noodles and then we went home and I passed out. Hello thirty-three!