We had the opportunity to take an organized tour to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is an area that buffers the border between North and South Korea. This was a really interesting trip, and we learned a lot of new facts about the 20th century history of the Korean peninsula.
A few fast facts:
1. Korea has been occupied by several major world powers. Prior to WWII, it was occupied by Japan. After the Allied forces defeated Japan, the northern half of the Korean peninsula became occupied by the Soviets, while the southern half was occupied by the United States.
2. The Korean war began because the Soviet Union sought to expand its power into Eastern Asia via the Korean peninsula. Soviet-backed North Korea invaded South Korea and pushed coalition forces (US, South Korean, and several other contributing countries) all the way down to Busan, Korea's southernmost major city. General MacArthur helped turn this situation around, and the Northern forces were driven back up near the Chinese border. Then the Chinese sent 1,000,000 soldiers in to aid the North, and the Southern troops were driven back to the point which we now acknowledge as the border between the two countries.
3. The DMZ is an area 2 km north and 2 km south of the border. The countries agreed to cease fire and step back 2 km from the Line of Demarcation (the border) as a way to keep the peace. It's full of land mines, but because it is rarely bothered by human interference, it is also a sanctuary for wildlife. We saw hundreds of birds flying through this area when were there. It was quite beautiful.
So there's your quick history lesson. Now on to some pictures...
South Korea greatly wants reunification, according to our guide. They have big dreams to create a railway that would stretch from Busan in the south, all the way to the other end of Korea, into China, and eventually to the Atlantic ocean after it's passed all the way through Europe. This picture shows its humble beginnings.
This is Dorasan, the northernmost train station in South Korea. It does not actually run to Pyeongyang. Yet.
In the early 1970's a North Korean defector informed South Korea that the North was constructing underground tunnels for the purpose of invasion. This tunnel that we visited was the third of 4 tunnels that were found (although most people think there are more). We descended 350 meters on this little Disneyland tram and got to walk around inside the actual tunnel.
This is known as the Bridge of No Return. POW's were released at this point and were allowed to choose whether they wanted to return to the North. After they crossed, there was no returning, hence the name.
The white posts in the background are the actual Line of Demarcation. One side is North, the other is South. The posts are exactly 1 meter high and 10 meters apart.
This is the Joint Security Area. The blue buildings in front of the South Korean soldiers are meeting rooms, which are guarded inside and out. There is a theoretical line down the center of the conference table, too.
He is on guard. All guards are always ready to fight (see his fists). Also all guards in the JSA must have a black belt in Taekwondo at minimum.
Truly, this was a very interesting trip. Wouldn't say it was exactly fun, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.
