the DMZ

the DMZ

Yesterday we took a tour of the demilitarized zone, the DMZ. We visited Imjingak, a bridge used to exchange prisoners of war after the Korean War ended. We looked through binoculars from Dora Observatory to get a view of North Korea. Just outside of the North's demilitarized zone, there is a propoganda village- houses and apartment complexes with no one living there. They have built several other ghost towns along the border. We could see Kesung City, North Korea's second largest city and a big industrial town. North Korea also holds a world record for the highest flagpole in the world. After the DMZ was established, the North and South competed to have the highest flagpole just outside of the 38th parallel, where the border separation exists. After that, we went to Dorasan Station. This station serves a railroad line that has been reconnected to run to North Korea but it is not yet in use. It serves currently as a symbol of hope for the future. Lastly, we walked through the 3rd tunnel, an infiltration tunnel built underground from the North to South. The North claims to have been coal mining yet S. Korea claims that is impossible as coal has never been found within their territory. We were able to walk as close as 170m from the N. Korean border and, at that point, there were three barrier gates. Four tunnels have been found but South Koreans do not know how many more exist.