The DMZ

Last weekend I took a tour of the DMZ with my friend Gemma and her boyfriend Paul, who were visiting from Australia. The whole trip was a little bizarre. While we were driving north, the tour guide pointed out areas where we could see North Korea. We should have been able to see, for example, that the mountains on the North Korean side had no trees because wood was burned for heat. A recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak meant the bus was sprayed several times daily with disinfectant, thoroughly sterilizing the exterior of the bus and obscuring our potential view. The tidbit was interesting despite the lack of visual confirmation.

First, we visited the Bridge of Freedom. The North and South are divided by the Imjin River and this is the only bridge connecting the estranged countries.








We had to have our passport checked by a Korean soldier before proceeding. Military service is compulsory military service for males for a duration of 21 months.




Land mines are still a fear along the DMZ. While the DMZ is only about 2 miles wide, an estimated two million antipersonnel landmines span the ground. We were able to go inside the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel. The tunnel is within 50kim of Seoul and was discoverd in 1978. "It penetrates 435 meters south of the Military Demarcation Line at a point 4 kilometers south of the Panmunjeom, running through bedrock at a depth of about 73 meters below ground. Capable of moving a full division (plus their weapons) per hour, it was evidently designed for a surprise attack on Seoul. This tunnel is only 2 kilometers from a key outpost defending the Munsan corridor leading to Seoul." No pictures were allowed in the tunnel. The climb out of the tunnel was definitely a work out.