The Korean DMZ

Destination 》Asia 》East Asia 》South Korea 》The Korean DMZ

Year Visited: 2014 – May

I visited Seoul, South Korea while living and working in Shanghai. It was a short five days trip, so we made Seoul our base and travelled around the country. While in Seoul, we made a day trip to the Korean DMZ Nowhere the tension between North and South Korea is more noticeable than in the no-man’s-land known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ. Located around 33-miles (50 km) from Seoul, the 150-mile (241-km) long strip of land, running across the Korean Peninsula, served as a buffer since the 1953 cease-fire agreement between the United Nations and North Korea that put the Korean War on a hold, but a peace treaty has never been signed, and the two Koreas remain technically at war with each other to this day. The DMZ is only 2.5 miles (4 km) wide that separates the North from the South at what is the most heavily armed border on the Earth.

We took a full day package tour from Seoul to visit the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

The first stop on the trip was Imjingak Park. The park was built to console those from both sides who are unable to return to their hometowns, friends and families because of the division of Korea.

The Freedom Bridge crosses the Imjin river. In 1953, this former railroad bridge was used by 12,733 Korean War prisoners/soldiers returning home to freedom.

This heavily armored steam locomotive is a symbol of the tragic history of the division into North and South Korea, having been left in the DMZ since it got derailed by bombs during the Korean War. More than 1020 bullet holes on the locomotive and its bent wheels show the cruel situation at the time.

Near the Freedom Bridge there are tens of thousands of prayer ribbons tied to the fence with written messages of hope, dreams and wishes for unification between North and South Korea.

Dora Observatory, situated on top of Dorasan (Mount Dora) in Paju, the observatory provides scenic views across the DMZ. Visitors can see the North Korean territory and its propaganda village through binoculars.

The Dorasan Station is designed to be the station that will connect the railroads of the South and North one day in the future.

The Third Tunnel of Aggression was built by North Korea in the 1970s and was discovered by South Korea in 1978. It spans over 1,635m in length. The United Nations estimated that approximately 30,000 soldiers could move through the tunnel per hour.

Next stop on our trip was the Second Tunnel of Aggression, It was discovered on March 24, 1975, total length is 3.5km in the 50m-160m below the surface. This area of DMZ is not as touristy as Imjingak Park and The Third Tunnel of Aggression.

With a friendly South Korean Soldier outside the Second Tunnel of Aggression.

As close to DMZ as one can get.

There many active land mines in DMZ.

Look at the signs on fence, never ever try to cross it.

The last stop on our trip to DMZ was the Cheorwon Peace Observatory that provides a panoramic view of the border of North & South Korea. Not many DMZ tours from Seoul will cover this part of the DMZ.