The DMZ- April 13th.

If you remember way back in April, there was a loll in world news and the 24 hour news networks made a big deal that Kim Jong Un was going to test missiles and possibly bomb South Korea or America. We took these threats very seriously, until we consulted some South Koreans, who said "He does this every week, but usually no one notices."  So, thankfully, I didn't cancel my trip and the world didn't end.

But I did get to thinking, "I'm probably not going to be back here soon, so I should really see everything I can..."

Which led me here, deep inside the Demilitarized Zone, just feet from the North Korean border.

Remember how in my last post I went hiking in Seoul proper and everyone thought I was going to get kidnapped?  Well, I didn't bother with telling anyone that I was going on a tour that would actually take me to within the enemy's reach!

After we got a briefing from the nice Marines not to wave or flip the bird at the North Korean soldiers, as they were probably taping us and hoping for something to use in a propaganda video, we walked into one of the blue meeting houses that were originally used for negotitiations.

Here's a view of the border between North and South Korea from inside.  This is looking out the east window, which means at this point I'm inside the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or the most isolated country in the world.

Don't worry, mom, the door to the north was locked and guarded.  I did ask someone to take my picture to prove I was there, but I also wish I'd taken a shower that morning. 

A word on the tour itself- it was sponsored by the USO.  And quite frankly, it was the most touristy thing I did the entire trip.  I never saw that many Americans in one place again for the rest of my visit.  Come on, there was a guy in a Packer's jacket there.  How dangerous could it be?

Since we paid for a whole day, we got to see all of the sites of the DMZ.  This is a monument to all of the countries that were part of the Korean War and its aftermath.  At this point, we were also surrounded on 3 sides by the DPRK.

This is North Korea's Propaganda Village.  Apparently, it was erected by the North Korean government to be a rival to the one remaining town, Daeseong-dong, that still exists inside the DMZ- but on the southern side.  The only catch is that it's completely empty.  I guess there aren't even windows in the buildings- they are all painted on.  And when the people of Daeseong-dong erected a 323 ft flagpole in town, the north Koreans responded by building a 525 ft flag pole.  (At the time it was the tallest in the world.  i love a world record.) 

It was in this little building that the armistice agreement was signed in 1952.  

This is the Bridge of No Return.  After the cease fire, they gave all the Koreans a chance to choose which side they wanted to be on when the border closed.  And you had to cross this bridge to get there.

For about 20 years, the North and South Koreans (with the help of a lot of UN peacekeepers), iccupied the same camps in the DMZ.  That was until a day in 1976, when the South set out to trim some poplar trees that were blocking the view of a checkpoint.  The northerners did not agree and ultimately and American soldier was killed with an ax.  Things escalated quickly, the North koreans were sent back to their side of the border and Operation Paul Bunyan succeeded in chopping down a bunch of trees with the help of 816 soldiers and what I imagine was spectacular display of tanks, jets, and helicopters. 

And if you take the DMZ tour, you can see the tree stump that started it all!

Did I mention what a tourist trap it was?  This was maybe half of the buses in this particular parking lot.  

This place showed us a movie about the history of the DMZ and its future as a nature preserve!

You could pay about 50 cents to look around with binoculars.  (You know I did.)

What I consider to be the best part of the whole day was when we got to go down in Tunnel 3.  In the late 1970s, a North Korean defector informed the south of about 20 tunnels the North Koreans had dug under the DMZ, presumably in case they wanted to attack again.  4 were found, and the rest are still out there.  (It doesn't seem like a good idea, right?)  When they asked North Korea, King Jong-Sung said they were just drilling for coal!  (They actually painted coal on the walls, and it's still in there, if you touch the walls.)  We totally got to walk down there to see all three of the concrete barriers the south put up to keep the North out.  It's deep and small.  In short, totally awesome.  

Remember Daeseong-dong, the town still operating inside the DMZ?  they farm rice and I decided at the beginning of the tour, that I was going to buy that rice if it was on sale.  The MOST DANGEROUS RICE IN THE WORLD!  I finally found a place that did sell it, but only in 20kg bags.  (Come on, South Korea, put that stuff in half kg bags and sell it for $5.  I would have bought 10.)  Instead I settled for buying the official chocolates of the DMZ for my whole family. (THE MOST DANGEROUS CHOCOLATES IN THE WORLD!!!)

Did I mention how touristy it was?  (I totally bought a pin with these two adorable ROK soldiers on it.)

I did like this little monument we came across.  I really got the genuine impression from everyone I spoke to that most Koreans just want the North and South to reunite so they can just be a country again.  I also got the impression that most Koreans think the Americans are more than a little weird for wanting to visit the DMZ.  I tried to explain how much this American, at least, loves to see the site of where anything of historic importance happened.  Also, I really want to someday say I'd been there when the DMZ is gone, like saying you saw the Berlin Wall before it fell.

Next stop, the highway leading to the Kaesong Industrial Complex, perhaps the only form of agreement between the two governments since the cease-fire.  South Korean companies can send their managers to run factories using cheap North Korean labor.   

The exciting part was that previously that week, Kim Jong Un ordered everyone out and shut the whole place down.  We saw many cars leaving stuffed to the gills and with twice their size shrink-wrapped to their tops.  (In better news, Kim Jong Un opened up the industrial complex again last week, which officially puts agreement with North Korea more timely than me updating the blog.) 

Also at the border beside the highway was the nicest train station that never was- Dorasan Station.  It was constructed in 2007 in the hopes of taking people and goods back and forth over the border, but those details haven't been worked out yet.

But they do make a little money in the meantime charging tourists 50 cents to stand on the tracks. 

 (You know I did it.)

Someday, this will be on of the last stops on the trans-continental line from Europe.  (That would be one long ride.)

We did have a good time viewing the platform. 

And talking to the most under-employed of the ROK forces.  It must be pretty boring to man a train station that doesn't see any trains. 

But he was really funny and knew songs about every city in America, it seemed.  

They even brought a train out  for us to see.

Then we piled in the tour bus for the last time and headed back.  They did feed us lunch at a cafeteria, which offered bulgogi and bibimbap, two of the most western friendly Korean dishes.  A large portion of our tour group was comprised of a Marine unit that had been stationed in Seoul for over 6 months.  For most of those Marines, this was the first taste of Korean food they'd had.  Sigh.  

I've put up a few more pictures of the drive back. 

 The DMZ is 60 miles north of Seoul.  And there was really no time when there wasn't city present.  Seoul and it's suburbs are quite literally sprawling.

Back in town.  

Mike and Kathy were from Cleveland and staying at the same hotel as me.  Which goes to show you, you can never get too far from the greatest city in the world.  (Of course I was talking about Cleveland.)