One of our last field trips here in Korea happens to be the most political. I'm not sure why this tour was saved for last but I'm glad it was. Now I know so much more about Korean history, the meaning of this place in particular means so much more. On this day we happen to be visiting the Joint Security Area, the Demilitarized Zone and the 3rd Tunnel courtesy of the USO Tours.
Korea is the only remaining divided country. Since the end of the Korean war July 27, 1953 the Military Demarcation Line was formed. Although most people think the line is straight across the 38th parallel it really isn't. It's a more jagged line that is a result of where the fighting ended when the armistice was signed [fact from DMZ tour guide PFC Vang]. From that line, 2 meters on each side form the Demilitarized Zone. In addition to the DMZ there is also a civilian off-limit line which varies from 5km to 20km from the southern boundary of the DMZ.
Political map of North and South Korea.
The surprise of the trip was the lush landscape surrounding the area. Due to the low population density and restrained development of the area, the DMZ has turned into a somewhat untouched landscape. There is farming in the area, but it is only done by a handful of farmers from the local villages along the line. For the most part the vegetation on the South Korean side has been allowed to fill in between the farms. There are several rare species of birds, flowers and insects and reports of Bengal tigers. The plants and animals along the line have definitely flourished.
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| Lush vegetation along the DMZ. |
I also saw what I expected to see. Lots of military. The area is heavily guarded. The JSA is the place where the two sides stand eye-to-eye. The soldiers stand at fight ready attention. There are very specific instructions on not touching the soldiers, no gesturing especially no pointing, and no talking to the North Korean soldiers at all. I'll admit I was a little nervous taking an 11 year old on this trip that is used to bouncing and goofing off. David was really subdued during this part of the trip. He really didn't like being this close to the other side. I didn't blame him either, it creeped me out too.
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| The Blue Conference Buildings. South Korean Soldiers watching the North Korean side. Our guide reminding us of the strict rules inside regarding the soldiers and numerous incidents inside the DMZ and where exactly they took place. |
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| A glimpse at a North Korean soldier. I had to strongly fight the urge to wave. |
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| Our tour guide PFC Vang explaining the importance of the room and readiness of the South Korean soldiers. |
Half way across the room is considered North Korean territory. A line of microphones, all active and recording every word said in the building, on the table is the Military Demarcation Line in the building. Through the door on the far side is indeed North Korea. I'll admit I was kind of relieved to head back to the bus and leave this area behind. I can't say I liked being watched and listened to by the North Koreans that much.
Back on the bus we headed for another checkpoint. At this overlook we were surrounded on 3 sides by North Korea. I still had that feeling of being watched, but it wasn't as bad as when we were near the conference buildings. You could see distinctly where the line between North and South here. Most of the trees were gone from the Northern side, used during the winter for firewood. North Korea still relies heavily on coal or woodburning stoves for heat. Also from this vantage point we could clearly see Propaganda Village. As part of the Armistice both sides are allowed one village this close to the DMZ. The North Koreans built a Hollywood type set that is uninhabited. There are lights in some of the buildings and a HUGE flag pole with a rather large North Korean flag. Other than a few people maintaining it there is no one there. On some of the buildings the windows are even painted on.
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| View of abrupt tree line and propaganda village with large flag pole. |
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| Up close North Korean flag pole with flag. |
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| It's very faint in the haze but you can just barely see the jamming tower. |
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| Bridge of No Return |
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| Original DMZ marker from the 50's. |
This concluded the DMZ/JSA portion of the tour. Our Army tour guide PFC Vang dropped us off and we continued with our USO guide to the Tunnel portion. Here is some more information about the DMZ if you are interested:
More info on the JSA/DMZ.
More info on Korean War
National Geographic Article on DMZ from July 2003
The 3rd Tunnel Tour
In an clear effort to invade South Korea, the North began digging numerous tunnels from the DMZ toward the South. So far only four tunnels have been discovered, the latest one in 1990. It is believed that there are several more. At first the North Koreans denied the tunnels existed or that they were associated with the tunnels. They have even gone so far as to accuse the South of digging them even though so much evidence has been found to the contrary. Now they are major tourist attractions. I do see the irony that the North had planned to use these tunnels to invade the South. Once discovered the South now uses them to promote tourism.
Our tour included the 3rd Tunnel only. I would have loved to get a glimpse at the others! We were not allowed to take pictures although some on the internet do exist. They are fascinating to the say the least but do not really capture the essence of it. I will do my best to describe it but if you ever get the chance I would highly recommend this tour.
Our decent into the tunnel took us through a building and down a steep, but wide and tall tunnel. Everyone could move around and stand up fine. Once we reached the Invasion Tunnel it was quite different. Gone were the smooth sides, convenient height and width. It was replaced with jagged edges of almost solid granite. I could stand up straight in all but a few places but Jason had to be hunched over the entire time except in a few places. There was moisture everywhere from ground water seeping through. You could still clearly see where the dynamite charges had been placed, and they obviously angled from the North side. Some spots were wider where they ran into softer rock. I was impressed with how straight it was. Other than the very few wider and taller in places, the tunnel was dead on accurate. It may not have been pretty, but it was meant for moving a large number of troops.
There is no real way to tell how long it took them to dig as far as they got (within 27 miles of Seoul) since they don't even acknowledge they did it. Given it was almost solid granite it must have been a while. Without modern tunneling equipment it would have been some very hard labor involved. As much as I enjoyed seeing the tunnel; the rock, the water, the evidence of blasting etc. It could not have been a pleasant experience for the North Korean that dug it. I had fresh air being pumped in, rubber mats on the floor and lots of lighting. Something tells me the guy digging didn't have any of that.
Brief history of the tunnels and their discovery.
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