Korea: DMZ and JSA Part 1

I was surprised by how close the DMZ is to Seoul.  I expected it to be a few hour drive but really, we were crossing into the DMZ no more than 45 minutes after we jumped on the bus.

Even more of a surprise was the barbed wire fences lining the Han River right outside Seoul. At first, I couldn’t see the river from the highway and thought we were passing a prison, but later learned the fences were put up over forty years ago to stop North Korean infiltrators from entering the South.

It’s really interesting how life goes on like normal in South Korea when the most heavily militarized border in the world is just 35 miles away from the capital city. It’s easy enough to forget that when you’re exploring the city, but there are some reminders.

Anyone can drive onto the DMZ, as long as they get military clearance. I went on a tour through the USO so they did all the clearance before we got on the bus and we didn’t need to stop.

The bridge crossing into the DMZ

The first stop was the Third Infiltration Tunnel. When we first stepped off the bus I felt like we were in a major tourist attraction. There were huge signs and statues and even a gift shop.

South Koreans discovered four tunnels dug by North Korea into the DMZ. The first was discovered in 1974 and the fourth was discovered in 1990 and there are most likely at least twenty others that haven’t been found yet.

Once in the building we had to leave all our belongings in lockers, grab a hard hat, and walk down a long, steep tunnel before even getting into the actual Third Infiltration Tunnel.

The tunnel before the tunnel 

Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed so I’ll do my best to describe what it was like. Once down in the tunnel, it was really dark and wet. The path is about five feet wide, but it pretty low, I had to duck down a lot so I wouldn’t hit my head on the rocks. The tunnels could carry 300 soldiers traveling from the North entrance to the South exit in under an hour.  The rocks were painted black because the North Koreans claimed they dug the tunnels for coal mining. Of course, there was no coal found but plenty of dynamite marks.

A tram that takes some visitors straight to the entrance of the tunnel 

At the end of the tunnel there are three walls. Between the first two is pure concrete and between the second and third is a huge water tank so if the north bombed it they would be flooded. There is CCTV all the way throughout the tunnel and a guard at the end of the tunnel 24/7. Once we walked to the end of the tunnel, there was a hole in the wall that we could see the water tank and the guard.

It seems like this post was too long to send out in emails so I had to split it up. You can view Part 2 here

DMZ and JSA Part 2

The next stop was the Observation Tower. We were led into a big room with stadium seating and windows from floor to ceiling so we could look at our first views of North Korea. A short movie was played that pointed out the main things we could see.

 

The line between the North and the South is very clear because the North has cleared out all of the trees so they can see everything. The video told us the mountains we could see are hallowed out, ready to be used as bunkers during a nuclear attack. 

A huge tower stops all GPS signals so no cell phones worked and the North Koreans can’t receive any transmissions from the south.

Once the video was over, we were able to go out to the observation deck to get a better look. There were binoculars to look through, but no pictures allowed past a line on the ground.

From the tower we could see Kaesong, the third largest city in North Korea. With the binoculars I could see a few people walking around but it was basically empty.

To the left is the Propaganda Village, or as it’s known in North Korea, Peace Village. The North Korean government says the village houses 200 families, schools, and even a hospital. Now, with modern telescopes, it is clear that the buildings are only shells, kind of like the fake buildings in Disney World. Most don’t even have window glass or rooms and automatically have lights turned on and off and certain times throughout the day. They still sweep the sidewalks to make the village look active in hopes of South Korean defection.

The flagpole in Propaganda Village is what sticks out the most. The South Korean government built a flagpole with their flag on their side of the DMZ so the North built a taller one on their side. This seemed to be a pattern with a few things, the south building something, then the North making one even bigger, and back and forth they go. The flagpole on the north is the third tallest in the world.

In the past, loudspeakers on the flagpole and buildings north of the border would deliver propaganda broadcasts aimed at the south. The broadcasts would speak about the values of North Korea and urge soldiers and farmers to cross the border to the north and be treated like brothers. Obviously, this didn’t work too well, so the broadcasts switched to anti-Western speeches until both sides agreed to stop.

We could also see the Kaesong Industrial Region, where the north and south work together. South Korean companies are able to get cheap North Korean labor (the cheapest in the world). All wages are paid to the North Korean government. There are mostly North Koreans working here, but some South Koreans as well. A convenience store is located in the complex, but only South Koreans are allowed to enter and buy anything from it. Last year, there was some conflict here, the north not allowing southerners to enter the factory, and then also keeping the northerners out of the factory.  We could also see the road for trade between the north and south and, of course, a huge gold statue of Kim Jong-un (while the majority of the citizens are starving).

There were a lot of South Korean soldiers at the observation tower. They were nice and friendly, happy to smile and wave, but made sure no one took pictures past the line. The main theme on the South side of the DMZ was peaceful reunification. Many people believe they're close to coming to an agreement, but currently the north has some ridiculous demands. 

A Temple at the Observation Deck

Buddha and Barbed Wire

The next stop was the Dorian Train Station, which was built to connect South Korea all the way to Europe. 

At the time, the South Korean government paid to build the railway, even the tracks on the north. This was a huge step towards reunification but it was only open for a year because of the election of a new South Korean president and a switch to a more conservative government.

Now, it’s very quiet and eerie; a brand new train station, similar to one in Europe, basically empty.

 

This post was way too long to send in one email so here's DMZ and JSA Part 3 

DMZ and JSA Part 3

If you’re going to do a tour of the DMZ, you want to do the tour with the USO, because they’re the only group that takes you into the Joint Security Area. After the train station, we stopped at Camp Bonifas, a military post, and were told we could not take pictures unless we were given permission. An American soldier got on the bus and took us to a building where he showed us a PowerPoint presentation explaining more about the history and dangers of this part of the tour. 

Then, we had to sign a form saying we were going into a hostile area and there was a chance of injury or death.

Once the presentation ended we were brought to another bus, able to take only cameras with us. We were led by a jeep of American soldiers and followed by another.

The first stop was Panmungak. We were put in two single file lines and told not to make any sudden movements or obscene gestures. We were brought through a building and then lined up on the steps looking at Meeting Row, the famous blue buildings where important meetings between the north and south are held.

As we stood on the steps, the soldier told us to look straight ahead, not to the left or right. He pointed out the building behind Meeting Row, and told us North Korea added the top floor because they had to be larger than the building on the South Korean side. They are able to tell the building is empty, and the southern soldiers call it the Monkey House.  After his speech, he took questions and told us we could take pictures, since they were taking pictures of us.

You can see the North Korean soldier taking pictures from the top of the steps. There were also a few upstairs watching with binoculars, and some on the sides with guns pointed. We weren't supposed to look that way so I sure wasn't going to take a picture of that!

And they were. North Korean soldiers were watching us through binoculars, taking pictures of us, and had guns pointed just in case something was to happen. Our soldier tour guide joked about it, but warned us if we crossed the line we were on our own and he wasn’t going to go after us.

The soldiers were standing guard, half of their body behind the building in case they were shot at and able to get behind cover quickly. This was explained to us as we were standing in two straight lines like we were in a shooting line!

I’ve ever been so nervous in my life! Being that close to North Korea, with soldiers watching our every move and guns pointed at us, made me really question my life decisions. But, I’m so glad I was able to do this, and definitely would recommend it!

From inside the meeting room, the line that separates the north (left) from the south (right). 

Guarding the door to North Korea

We then followed or lines into the main building of Meeting Row. The soldier gave us some history of the room and we were able to walk around freely, even technically on the North Korean side. We were told not to get too close to the soldiers because if we did, they would move you out of the way (not so peacefully, either).

The table where the important meetings take place.

The American soldier joked with us throughout the tour, making it seem a lot less scary than it actually was. Once girl walked behind a Korean soldier and the American soldier grabbed her quickly and shouted at her not to ever get behind him like that again. That was when the seriousness of the situation really hit us all and it was time to move on to the next spot.

One of many security towers

As we drove around, we could see different Northern security towers where they were watching us carefully, always with binoculars and cameras with really long lenses.

The site of the Ax Murder Incident

We drove past the site of the Ax Murder Incident. In 1976, a tree was scheduled to be cut down because it blocked the view from a UN post. A group of American and South Korean tree trimmers along with two American soldiers went to cut the tree down when a group of North Korean soldiers showed up at the site. Their lieutenant, Pak, told them to stop cutting it down because Kim ll-Sung personally planted and looked over the tree. The US Captain Bonifas ordered his men to continue and turned his back to Lieutenant Pak. A few minutes later, a North Korean guard truck came with more North Korean soldiers and Pak reportedly removed his watch, wrapped it in a handkerchief and placed it in his pocket before shouting, “Kill the bastards!” North Korean soldiers then grabbed the axes used to trim the tree. They then attacked and wounded all but one of the workers and killed the two American soldiers.

The Bridge of No Return

We then passed the Bridge of No Return, which was used for prisoner exchange after the Korean War. Many war prisoners that were captured by the US did not want to return home to North Korea. They were given the chance to stay in South Korea or return home, but once they crossed the bridge they would never be able to return.

Before leaving the DMZ we stopped at a cafeteria where many of the workers from both the north and south will eat during their breaks. There were signs throughout stating that North Koreans could not read any magazines, use cell phones, watch videos, or many other things.

Dinner

It was a long and exciting day, but such an amazing experience. I felt safe during the whole tour, but at some points I did think about how easy it could have been for something to go wrong. But, there’s no use in worrying about that stuff! I would definitely do it again and if you ever find yourself in South Korea, I absolutely recommend you take this tour!

Seoul

I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated! I have a backlog of posts I hope to get to soon, but I'm going to skip all that and go with my Korea trip first!

            I usually do much more planning when I visit a new country, but I didn’t do much at all for Korea. I had a list of a few things I’d like to do but none of it was a necessity (except the DMZ/JSA tour but we’ll get to that later).

            I was lucky enough to meet up with some Korean friends that I went to grad school with who were nice enough to be my personal tour guides!

            I was surprised by how big Seoul is, it reminded me of New York City.  It’s so modern and westernized I felt like I was back in America (minus the language barrier).

            Seoul is the home of five royal palaces. There is the main palace, Gyeongbok, is located in the center with a palace in each direction. 

            I went to Gyeongbok on my last day in Seoul. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but was luckily enough to step off the subway about ten minutes before the changing of the guards ceremony.

            As the ceremony took place, announcers explained what was happening in Korean, Chinese, and English.

            After the changing of the guard, I wandered around the palace grounds.

A man with broken English told me to follow him to the more beautiful area. He took me to a pond and pointed me to the President’s House behind the palace.

            My final day in Seoul was Lunar New Year Day, so there were many special activities going on at the palace and Folk Museum, which is located behind the palace grounds. I happened upon it by accident and didn’t have time to go in the museum, but walked around and watched some of the outdoor performances.

            On my first full day in Seoul we went to the eastern palace, Changdeokgung. This is said to be the most beautiful of the palaces.

My favorite part was the huge secret garden in the back that makes you feel like you’re far out of the city.

Touching that gate is supposed to give you a lifetime of happiness...or wealth... or something equally exciting

            I wanted to go to a traditional teahouse while in Korea and the one we went to was beautiful. We took our shoes off before we entered and sat on the floor at tables close to the ground. The floors are heated in Korea so it was nice and toasty.

The view from the teahouse

My name in Korean

            After our teahouse visit we walked around a neighborhood with old, traditional houses.

            Then worked around the touristy shopping area.

Of course, Starbucks

After dinner we went up to the Seoul Tower. 

The elevator to the cable car

We took a cable car up the mountain and got to the top right at sunset. 

Locks all over the fences at the top 

It was an amazing view of the whole city, but it was freezing!

            The next day I went on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone and Joint Security Area between North and South Korea. That was absolutely insane and deserves a post its own post. 

            When I met up with another friend Thursday we walked around some of the shopping areas and I got a few souvenirs.

            It was Lunar New Year, so the city was really quiet.

            All the excitement finally caught up with me and I was exhausted so went back to the hostel to rest. When I went out again later that night it was really quiet, even around my hostel which is usually a very busy night market.

            I underestimated the power of Lunar New Year and most things were closed, so I had to go for a pizza for dinner. I didn’t know what to expect but it was actually pretty good… and came with a mystery container of…

PICKLES!?!?

            My last day was busy too, besides the palace I went to Namsangol Hanok Village. I read they had special programs for New Years so I wanted to check it out.

            There were tons of people and a bunch of traditional activities going on.

New Years Wishes

            I walked around the grounds for a bit and found a time capsule. A nice man practiced his English on me and told me all about the time capsule that will be opened up in 300 years.

Interestingly found all over on the subway

The very quiet subway on Lunar New Year

            I had an amazing time in Korea! Seoul is such an exciting city and I’m so glad this my last trip before heading back to America!

            I’ll post about the DMZ/JSA soon, but in the meantime check out some of the food!

As you can tell I have a bit of an obsession with taking pictures, so there are tons more here. 

<3