At the end of WWII Korea was divided in half with the Soviets controlling the North and the USA the South. Both sides established Korean governments. In 1950 North Korea invaded south Korea (to "unify" it) and took most of the country until UN forces and South Korea fought to take much of the country back.
In 1953 North and South Korea signed what is effectively a "cease fire" agreement. Technically the two countries are still at war today. The Military Demarcation Line (MDL) is used to separate North and south Korea.
The DMZ (demilitarized zone) is designed as a buffer with 2km on each side of the MDL.
Within the DMZ there is a Joint Security Area or the JSA. The JSA is a portion of the DMZ where South and North forces stand face to face (literally staring each other down).
In the JSA there are a number of buildings, one of them is the is the MAC (Military Armistice Commission) Conference Building where the two sides meet. The MAC/Conference building straddles the MDL, half is in North Korea and half is in South Korea. This is not a technicality, it physically straddles the border. Under agreement, both sides can move freely within the building, this is to facilitate meetings between them.
The environment is not friendly in any way, it's very intense. The ROK (South Korean) soldiers stand guard constantly watching the NK soldiers. Sometimes the NK soldiers will make faces and motions like they will slit the ROK soldiers throats, trying to make them "flinch" (so to speak).
There are a number of tours you can take of the DMZ. The most common one takes you inside the South side of the DMZ where you can look into North Korea from an observatory and it takes you to one of the tunnels NK dug for a planned invasion of the South in the 1970s.
The tunnels are fascinating and terrifying. The third of the 4 discovered tunnels was built a shocking 350m (1,150 ft) below ground. It's believed that there are up to 20 of these tunnels in existence. They were created by painstakingly blasting through granite with dynamite and carting the pieces out. South Korea only discovered these by gaining information from defectors. Because the defectors did not know the exact location they had to drill (like drilling for oil) many holes in the ground until they hit a tunnel. The plan was to dig these to Seoul and basically, you would have NK troops streaming out of the ground in and around the city, very scary. This tunnel alone "can easily accommodate 30,000 men per hour along with light weaponry", now imagine 20 of these popping out in the capital city of South Korea.
Another tour which can be combined with the DMZ + 3rd Tunnel tour is the JSA/Panmunjom tour. This tour takes you right to the front lines. You will see North Korean guards and be just feet from the slightly raised concrete line that divides the two countries. It is kind of an unnerving and an incredible experience. For this tour you will need to register 48-72 hours in advance with the tour operator so they can register you with the UN. You will be instructed not to carry bags (purse, backpack, etc) and to dress in a manner that is appropriate and will not impede you from running in case something happens. There have been a number of flare-ups here that have resulted in the deaths of soldiers on both sides. One such flare-up involved NK soldiers hacking US soldiers to death with an axe. The last incident was as recent as August 2013 when a South Korean was shot to death trying to defect (yes South to North, it's a strange one).
You will also sign a lengthy waiver with terms such as "The visit to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom will entail entry into a hostile area and possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action."
This is our visit to the JSA:
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| ROK Guards watching NK - The grey building is in NK The blue buildings straddle the MDL/Border |
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| Notice how the guard on the left is only half way out of the side of the building. This is so he can signal his officers with the hand covered by the building in case of any enemy action. They stare directly ahead and do not move a muscle, kind of like the guards at the Queen's Palace in England except these guys are on the front lines. You can see a NK guard in the upper left in front of the door. He kept an eye on us through his binoculars. |
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| On the North Korean side of the conference room with ROK soldier guarding the door. He looks like a mannequin and does not move but he is very real. These guys are intense. Apparently at some point an interpreter forgot to lock the door (seen right behind me) and NK soldiers tried to drag one of these guys out of the room and effectively kidnap him. |
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| Christine on the North Korean side of the conference room in the JSA |
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| Raised concrete in the middle is the MDL (border) left is NK right is SK |
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| Christine in North Korea, note the concrete border behind her that is the MDL Not a place to smile for your picture |
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| Me in North Korea |
I am not sure why they provide these tours, it seems risky to me. The North also provides tours from their side. You have to get to North Korea via Beijing if you really want to go. The only thing I can think of is by showing the world maybe they hope this helps reinforce support from other nations in dealing with NK.
- Jason
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