Crossing to North Korea

Well friends, I had quite an eventful few days last weekend and would love to share the details of it with you.  Not only was it fun, but it was educational, intense, and opened my eyes to a lot of what has happened/is happening between North and South Korea.  I feel like since I've been here, I'm continuously learning about the history of this peninsula and craving to know more.  Korea is such an understated country in our textbooks but is so rich in culture, history, and the perseverance of its people.

What in the world did I do to spark this conversation on history and unrest? I took a tour of the DMZ.  Most of you probably have no idea what the DMZ is, right? It is the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.  It is roughly 2.4 miles wide and stretches from coast mostly on the 38th parallel as supposedly a neutral zone between the two countries although it is still the most heavily militarized border in the world.  Initially, it was the boundary between the United States occupied South and the Soviet Union occupied North after World War II but the Korean War moved all over the Peninsula - finally resting back on that line with an Armistice Agreement signed for each side to push their military back 2km with a Military Demarkation Line (MDL) directly down the middle. At no point should either military cross the MDL.  Within the DMZ, there is a Joint Security Area (JSA) called Panmunjeom in which both Koreas have their own respective buildings and there are even conference buildings built directly on the MDL.  I could go on for pages and pages of history I learned this weekend, but I will spare you and encourage you to look it up of you are interested, as this is not merely history, but in the present.

I know, a lot of history mumbo jumbo, right? For those who hate history, know this: There is a heavily guarded, supposedly neutral area between North and South Korea - and this is what I visited on Saturday.

After taking the crowded slow train up to Seoul Friday night and sleeping in a noisy (but very clean!) hostel in Itaewon, Amy and I grabbed coffees and headed to the USO office where our tour was to leave from.  There we met up with Holly and Orla and the tour was on its way with a very informative tour guide and a bus full of interested foreigners. Our first stop was the 3rd Tunnel.  The North had created secretive tunnels under the DMZ leading towards Seoul which the South found in the 1970s.  The tunnels are large enough to have an entire infantry division pass through in one hour and the North claimed that the tunnels were for coal mining, although no coal has ever been found.  We weren't allowed to take pictures, but I was able to go far into the 3rd tunnel - boy, is the North persistent - that tunnel is LONG!

representative of trying to reunify Korea

outside the 3rd Tunnel

Our next stop was the Dora Observatory where we could see over into North Korea for the first time and even see their "Propaganda Village" where there are just shells of nicer buildings so that the South will look and think "oh, it's not so bad!" but really no one lives in those.  There used to be propaganda blared from speakers for 6-12 hrs a day in the area, but that ceased in the last few years.

Dora Observatory - North Korea is the left half of the view

if you look close, you can see the N flag on the left and behind the guy's head on the right is the S Flag

Dorasan Train Station, which was built in hopes that Koreans would be able to travel to Kŭmgangsan in the North, a culturally important area to Koreans, allowed Koreans to travel there in 2007.  However, a South Korean Tourist was killed by the North in July 2008 and the Station is still standing but never runs past the DMZ. We made a stop there for some photos and followed it with lunch.

walking towards the North.

Finally, we moved onto the most intense, interesting, and informative part of our day - the Joint Security Area.  To get there, we had our passports checked yet again, switched into a bus driven by military, and had a US military with us at all times.  As we drove in, if any of us doubted how real this was, it was solidified by the 3 types of barricades along the road in case the North ever tried to cross - A barbed wire/electric fence, rock drops to block the roads, and landmines all over the countryside off the roads. We were briefed on what we could and could not take pictures of, how we should never gesture or point at the North Korean soldiers/side, to not linger when they say "move", and told lots of stories about the JSA.  At this point I was really nervous.  This was not the scene of a movie or an historical site - it was a real life, present military zone between two countries at unrest. Scary. We took pictures, waited nervously in view of the North, and overall I am soooo glad I took the chance to see history unfolding.

North Korea. See the soldier at the first set of doors on the left? Scary.

Blue buildings are the conference buildings we went into - the North is where the dirt starts.

S. Korean soldier....only partially exposed. He stood in that position the entire time.

I didn't realize I was literally standing on the division line and in N&S simultaneously!

Even though they're for the South, they're so intense they're scary!!

Never any facial movement and the sunglasses are so the N can't see where they are looking.

Left of cement: South Korea. Right: North Korea.

Towards the North in the DMZ

Propaganda Village in the North

The little white posts mark the MDL from coast to coast.

Where an ambush on the South took place in the JSA.

Bridge of No Return

After the Korean War, prisoners of war from both sides were brought here and told to choose which side they wanted to live on.  Once they chose, they could not return to the opposite side.

That evening, we got subpar Mexican food in Itaewon and even followed it hours later with some Taco Bell (which I don't think I had eaten for at least a year before Korea, but it's crazy how exciting anything from home seems).

Crunchwrap! yum!

Sunday, Amy and I went to the biannual Seoul Airshow which was amazing and a great way to end a fun weekend away!

The cockpit of a refueling US Air Force plane we were able to go into

Imagining my response to flying in a plane like that.... anyone have a bag?

Just making friends!

and a few more...

cutest little flight suits!!

who needs lawn chairs when you can sit on the cement?!

Amazing shot of the Black Hawk Jets!

Incredible flying!

seriously thought they were going to crash every time!

Sorry that was ridiculously long, but I felt it all needed explaining.  I like to be informed, and I want you to be informed! I'm off to Gyeongju on a "Culture Trip" through the DMOE (my employing program) tomorrow till Sat so I'm sure I'll have stories from that also! Take care!