A Day at the DMZ

 

Our guide for the day was another Nancy, but we didn't like her nearly as much as our Nancy in Taiwan, this one was somewhat disorganized.  Due to security we were required to wear these "Team Nancy" lanyards throughout the day.

In an effort to be cute and friendly, Nancy showed us how to make tiny Korean hearts, no idea why.

We got on one of five buses headed to the DMZ and arrived at this area that really confused us.  At first we thought it was just a restroom stop.

I realize that it's ridiculous but I love to take pictures of all the different signs we find in bathrooms throughout the world.  This one was colorful but pretty tame.

If you think about it, when's the last time that you saw a bar of soap in a public restroom?

The other thing that was weird about this stop was that as we drove into the parking lot we passed the Peyongchwa Land amusement park.  For the life of me I couldn't figure out why this would be a fixture at the DMZ.   Eventually we understood that we weren't actually IN the DMZ yet and that there was a reason for this park being there.

Along with the park there was this building that had all sorts of food stalls, another seemingly odd addition.

Any of these snacks look tempting? Or perhaps you'd rather have a Mozzarella Cheese Hot Dog, or Octopus Fish Cake on a stick, or a Tornado Potato?  We looked but didn't taste anything that morning.

Eventually we got the explanation for the contrasts at this spot before when we got to the Mangbaedan Memorial.  The older generation of Koreans still come here to remember those who were taken from them during the Korean War, either through death or by the partition of the country. 

As you can see from this photo and the one below, both courtesy of Nancy, they still come here to give offerings in hope that someday the country and families might be reunited.

However, while this older generation is here remembering and crying the younger generation, who are now two generations or more removed from the war, will spend their time eating snacks and riding rides at the amusement park.  It must be weird to hear sobs of sorrow with screams of excitement at the same time.

This spot is called the "Freedom Bridge", a place where the original bridge was bombed and this new one build in its place.

In 1953, there were 12,733 liberated South Korean POW's who crossed this bridge back to freedom.

As you will see in a photo below, when we crossed the nearby river on the gondola, there was a major train artery that ran through this area.  There are remnants of a bombed bridge, as well as a new one that has been built in hopes that someday it can be used again to cross the peninsula.  This train was the last engine to come to South Korea from North Korea.

If you look closely you can see some of the bullet holes that pierced the metal as it made it's final run in 1950.

Nearby are these ribbons hung as prayers for peace.

At another spot on the grounds is this engine from the final train to run from South Korea to North Korea.  

Near it are all sorts of memorials for reunification, including this sign that says "Let the Iron Horse Run Again".

Also nearby are various memorials to those who lost their lives in the Korean War.  This one was built by the South Korean Veteran's Association to remember fallen comrades.

This one, symbolic of the Imjin River which divides North and South.  It memorializes both the South Korean and United Nations troops who "dedicated body and soul to restoring peace and freedom." 

This next one is a "Monument dedicated to the United States Forces in the Korean War".

It not only includes alternating U.S. and South Korean Flags surrounding it,

but also a statue of President Truman with a quote from the special announcement he made on 27 June 1950 to announce that the U.S. would send support to South Korea after their attack by North Korea.  It was a lovely monument.

Following our random wanderings it was time to take the gondola across the river.

It was just a short ten minute ride over the Imjin River.

This area is still controlled by the U.N. and there are people who live here that are sort of like a country all to themselves.  The only industry here is farming, rice and ginseng for the most part.   It is completely organic as there are no chemicals allowed in the area.  500 people live inside what is called the unification village.

Here you can see the railway bridge that I mentioned earlier, and the broken parts that are left as a reminder after having been bombed.

One of the guard towers along the river, I don't know that they are currently still in use.

As we came into the the station across the river the initials for DMZ were laid out with flags.

The unfortunate thing about this stop is that our guide didn't do any explaining about what the significance was here.  Honestly, it just felt like a tourist attraction.

Here you can see the gondolas as they come across the river.  There were many, many of these mine signs along the fence.

Along with the "no rockets" signs.  I can't imagine anyone would bring any kind of rocket over with them.  There were also multiple flowering trees.

A closeup of one of the smaller mine signs.

Those signs are necessary because there are over 2 million land mines scattered throughout the DMZ.

Chuck and LeaAnn and I decided we did not want any rockets falling on our heads for sure!

Looking the other way on the river you see the Unification Bridge.  This would be the one we would take in a few minutes to go into the DMZ.  In order to enter we had to have our names cleared previously on an official list and were required to individually show our passports to the South Korean soldiers who came on the bus to check the passports against the names on their list.  They take this very seriously because when our guide had incorrect info on the list we had to go back to Imjingak so that she could get it printed correctly.  Then it was back to the gate, and another verification by the soldiers before we were allowed to enter.

One last thought from one of the memorials.

Our first stop inside the DMZ was The Third Tunnel.  You aren't allowed to take anything inside there with you, including your phone or any kind of camera.  Everything had to be left in a locker outside the entrance.

The tunnel we entered was one of four that the South Koreans are aware of that have been dug by North Korea for the purpose of putting troops forward for an attack. They are confident that there are more that they haven't found yet.  This display shows how the tunnels would be chipped away through the rock.

There was a display inside to show the area that the DMZ covers.  The Military Demarcation Line (MDL) runs down its center, then there is a 4 km (1.3 mile) buffer zone on either side of that which constitutes the DMZ.

I think this was supposed to be the South Korean troops rushing into the tunnel after it was found.

This was as close as I could get with my camera to take a picture.  The tunnel was discovered in October 1978, following an underground explosion that had been detected in June of that year, plus information from a defector.

You can get an idea here of where we went in this photo.  The tunnel is 240 ft. below ground and runs for a little over a mile.  We didn't go the whole length.  It is only about 6.5 feet high and just about 5.5 ft wide and cut out of bedrock.  There is much of it that is now braced up to keep tourists safe, and you are required to wear a hard hat while traversing the space.  The ramp down to the tunnel is steep, as you can see in the photo above.  It was hard on the knees going down and on the heart rate going up.  As short as I am I only had to duck my head a couple of times and only hit my hard hat once.  Karl had to walk bent over in the tunnel and smacked his hard hat multiple times.  There is water that drips from the sides and boards that cover the pathway but occasionally I found my foot in a puddle.  When you get to the end, well, as far as you're allowed to go, you can look through a small hole in the wall that looks through another small hole in another wall that looks into North Korea, just a few yards away.  It was a fascinating place to go as long as you're not claustrophobic.

Back up on top in the information area the floor has a diorama under glass beneath your feet to also give you an idea of where things are.

Outside the tunnel entrance was this artwork depicting the hopes of the South Koreans for reunification someday.

The center shows the hole that is left on the peninsula by the loss of each of the parts.

Somewhat cheesy by if there's a sign we need to take a picture.  It seemed kind of weird to take one here in a place that is technically still a war zone.

DMZ in Korean.

Our final stop in the DMZ was to hike up to the observation deck where you can see North Korea in the distance.

Notice here that there is a sign for a "shelter" in the basement.

Obviously our visibility wasn't the greatest the day we were there.  These are views of South Korea, their flag is waving from a tower in the photo on the right.  It was following WW2 that the Korean peninsula had bee split into two nations along the 38th parallel. On June 25, 1950 that troops from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) or North Korea, invaded the Republic of Korea (ROK), or South Korea.  Two days after the invasion the United Nations voted to send troops in and Korean conflict went into full swing.

On July 27, 1953 a cease fire and armistice was signed at this spot in the DMZ, along the Military Demarcation Line.  To this day a peace treaty has never been signed between the two countries, which is why the DMZ is still under the control of the UN.

From atop the observatory you can see this North Korean tower with its flag waving in the distance.  There is a tower opposite it in South Korea but my photo is too hazy to see it as you could tell above.  The clearer photo here on the right is one that Nancy sent to use following the tour.

This is also a photo she sent of the North Korea side on a much clearer day.

The South Koreans found out that these buildings that look like a large city there are actually fake, just wooden facades.

Another view into North Korea.  You can get an idea from this photo how mountainous the entire peninsula is.  70% of South Korea is mountains so most of the population of 55 million live on only 30% of the land.

Another Nancy photo, one where you can see the closest North Korean guard tower to the observation deck.  

We could actually see a guard in that tower when we looked through these binoculars on the site.

Both the South Korean and UN flags fly at this part of the DMZ.

This view towards South Korea, is much more prosperous looking.

We even got a few cherry blossoms here at the observation deck.

This photo looks back towards Seoul in the distance beyond those white buildings in the background, only 35 miles away.

Definitely get the idea you are in a war zone when there are guard towers atop the buildings you walk past.

Although LeaAnn and I did have a lighter moment taking photos just a few yards from that tower in this colorful shelter.

We weren't allowed to take photos of the DMZ village itself, which was a collection of clean, nice homes, but the tour company had arranged for their customers to be able to buy a Korean lunch from a restaurant there.  It was a buffet that was nothing fancy but pretty good and also cheap.  We enjoyed our lunch and then it was back to Serenade.

This was definitely one of the unique experiences that we've had on this trip and one we'll probably never do again.  There was much more to explore in Seoul but we had enjoyed our adventure as we bid this capital city goodbye that night.