A DAY AT THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER!

It was early Saturday morning as I headed toward a place where few people ever get the chance to go. Final destination - the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Despite the tensions that have happened recently where the two opposing governments of the Korean peninsula (North and the South) were threatening to go to war, today I was hoping for a day of peace! Recent tours to the DMZ were canceled prior to this week due to the increased tensions at the border. Things calmed down a bit after multiple talks between the top officials on both sides and luckily, this time the tour was not canceled.

Upon arrival to Camp Kim, my increased feelings of excitement about having the chance to be right at the 38th parallel line that separated the two Korea's soon turned to apprehension when I was immediately required to sign a release form stating that I would not hold them liable for any unforeseen turn of events that may harm me during this tour. After thinking about it for a split second, I thought, sounds exciting... when do we leave?! 

On our bus ride along the Han River on our trip up North, we crossed over the Unification Bridge, which was built to replace the original one lane Freedom Bridge - the bridge that allowed prisoners of war to return to the South at the end of the war. We also encountered many barbed wire fences and manned military watch tower posts that help to prevent unauthorized people from the North from entering in to the South. I can't be sure, but on the flip side, I don't think there are too many people trying to leave the South to go North!

Finally, we arrived at Camp Bonifas which is where the Republic of Korea military post of the DMZ is located. If you're not familiar with the DMZ, let me explain.  To put it simply, in 1945, after Korea had been liberated from Japanese rule, the U.S. and Russia agreed to help Korea during  their time of reconstruction. In 1948, Korea was officially split at the 38th parallel line during a time of heightened hostilities and complete disagreement of political philosophies. The communist North supported by China and Russia were then named the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the South believing in Western style democracy and backed by the U.S. were now known as the Republic of Korea (ROK). Both sides claimed they ruled the country, and then in 1950, the North invaded and attacked the South beginning the Korean War. After the South lost all of its territory all the way down to the southern tip of Busan, the U.S. entered the war and pushed the enemies all the way back far North of the 38th parallel. At this point, the Chinese entered the war and pushed back the line to the 38th and an armistice agreement was signed and a ceasefire enforced. Technically speaking, the Korean War is not over since a Peace Treaty was never signed. To mark the separate territories, the point at which the troops stood marked the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and each side was then required to retreat back 2 km on each side to avoid hostile engagements. The 4 km strip of land in the center became the DMZ.

After our passports were checked and recorded, we drove through the camp and were instructed NOT to take pictures of the base for security reasons so I happily obliged. After entering the camp gates, we immediately passed by the 1-hole golf course known as the world's most dangerous golf course due to the fact that there are numerous buried live mines along the course! 

During the ride as we crossed in to the DMZ territory, we were told about and shown several interesting and important historical sites from our guide Han Yun, American name Vincent. Within this peaceful and undisturbed sanctuary of rare species of native plants and exotic animals - truly a nature lovers paradise, there are actually two villages. The families whose domiciles were located within this southern territory before the ceasefire were allowed to stay and are protected by the UN Command. Even though these families in Daesongdong, known as the Freedom Village,  are subjected to loud speaker propaganda blasting from the north, their direct descendants can still live here while enjoying no taxation and multiple government benefits as long as the head of the household lives at the home for at least 240 days out of the year and residents follow the 12 pm curfew every night. Otherwise, they will forfeit their right to live there.  On the northern boundary, about a mile away, is the village of Gwijeongdong, appropriately nicknamed, Propaganda Village. This is the village you may have heard about that is a fake village, hence nobody really lives there. A maintenance crew comes to manicure the grass and turn lights on and off for "show", but there aren't even windows on these concrete shells. Notice the flag pole? It stands at 160 m tall, one of THE tallest flagpoles, and was egotistically built to tower over the 100 m  flagpole that had been built previously on the southern side of the line. No competition here, huh?

This picture of the Propaganda Village is taken from the binocular view!

When we arrived in Panmunjom to the JSA (Joint Security Area) to get our briefing from the military officials, we were required to sign yet another form stating that we were entering in to a hostile area and the possibility of injury or death could be the direct result of enemy action. Our signatures ensured we would not hold the U.S. government nor the Korean People's Army responsible in case of hostile enemy action. Hmmm.... makes me feel pretty good about coming here, but it was too late now. With a bit of hesitation, I reluctantly signed away all my rights once again on the declaration. After verifying all documents were appropriately signed, the MP proceeded with our educational briefing of the political history of North and South Korea and just exactly how the demarcation line was formed.

Strict rules enforced, not only were we told ahead of time what we could and could not wear as the dress code is very strict and highly enforced at the (UNCMAC) United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission, but following orders is especially important here as well. As we were closely guarded and escorted to Conference Row, we were told many times that the "other" side is watching us and we were instructed to stand in straight lines, not to carry or bring anything, even our purses, with us except perhaps our passports and a camera. If we had a jacket, we had to wear it (not carry it) and we were told not to reach for anything abruptly or put our hand in the air to point at anything since the "North" may mistake it for a gun. That was my cue to cross my arms neatly folded in front of me.... I didn't want to know what the results were of that mistake! They sure put the fear in to you, as they should for such a serious situation... At this point, I think I was even afraid to sneeze, but I was still thrilled to be here! We are at the line and North Korean Soldiers can be seen from the distance standing at the Panmun House watching us carefully along with others through the small window next to him. 

Cameras can be seen as well, and from our side, you can see the South Soldiers standing half obscured behind the blue buildings ready to secretly signal if needed and to act at a moments notice if the situation warranted doing so. 

Taking our turn to enter the UN Conference room where many negotiations have taken place, we proceed with caution. It is here that we are allowed to step on the far side of the room which is in North Korea. You can see here that the ROK soldier is standing guard so that we don't accidently go out the wrong door entering in to North Korean territory. When I asked why they held their fists in such a tightly clenched way, I was told this is a Tai Chi position. Regardless, I'm happy to have their protection along with our U.S. MP's. One of the stories told to us in here was how the two sides used to have really long negotiations and there were no designated breaks. At one such meeting, both sides, not wanting to show any sign of weakness by leaving the table, spent 22 hours straight face to face. After that miserable and perceivably quite uncomfortable experience, there is now a mandatory break built in to all future negotiations scheduled in this room.

Our next stop was Checkpoint 3 where standing on the grounds we were surrounded on three sides by the communist North. 

We also got to view but only from the safety inside our bus, the Bridge of No Return which crosses that middle line. This is where the prisoners were exchanged at the end of the war and given the choice to return to whichever side they preferred but to never return again. Decisions, decisions...

Next to the bridge, we drove by the historical landmark of the 1976 Axe Murder Incident where aggressions at the checkpoint resulted in one of the worst escalations of tensions since the end of the war. ROK and U.S. guards who were busy pruning a large Poplar tree to increase visibility of the view, were viciously attacked by the DPRK in an ambush with the same axes they had held in their hands. Two U.S. military personnel were killed, while the North never took responsibility for their actions citing the falsehood that the tree was "sentimental" to them as a highly ranking official originally planted the tree. And if you believe that, I've got a bridge I can sell you. 

Photo used from the JSA

Photo from the JSA

Another incident happened in 1984 When a tourist from Russia visiting the JSA from the north side broke away from the group to run to the other side. Although the defector ran across unharmed, three of the North Koreans and one South Korean soldier were killed in the battle. This area is now referred to as the Sunken Garden.

Photo from the JSA 

Throughout the journey, we were told what we could take pictures of and what we couldn't. Mostly, I semi-obeyed in part to a couple of quickly snapped harmless photos that I probably shouldn't have taken. But hey, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I definitely HAD to document proof of the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel experience. This tunnel also known as the Third Tunnel of Aggression was found in 1978 and is one of four known tunnels built under the DMZ by the North to secretly enter S. Korea. During our crowded single file line going both ways, being taller Americans than the average Korean, we crouched over desperately trying to prevent our heads from hitting the top of this small enclosure. We were only allowed to walk through the tunnel partially before it was barricaded off from further exploration due to the proximity of the MDL - Military Demarkation Line. On the way back out, it was quite the breathless hike almost as strenuous as my mountain hikes have been but way cooler! 

 

In retrospect, even though I'm a bit claustrophobic when it comes to confined spaces and wasn't quite sure I would be able to go in the tunnel, I think I handled the walk through the enclosure pretty well and even snapped a few forbidden photos when the opportunity presented itself. Even one of the guards at the exit to the tunnel shared in my photographic enthusiasm and took a moment to help me capture the moment! 

Since the 1953 Armistice Agreement of the Korean War, only four tunnels have been found. While the North denies that they are nothing more than coal mines, it is said that there may be many more and the search and monitoring continues to prevent them from building more.




In 2003, the Dorasan Station was opened. This station connected the Gyeongui line which crossed over the DMZ to connect the North and the South. This was a historic moment and was a promising step toward the reunification of the two countries. In 2007, freight trains from the South were allowed to cross over into North Korea, taking materials to and from. In 2008, the N. Korean government halted all border crossings. Today, this station is only used for tourists visiting and for the southern residents from the Freedom Village to travel by train to the South as this is as far as it goes toward the North at this time. With an air of hope, signs in the station still promisingly read, "Not the last station from the South, but the first station toward the North".

Before returning back to the bus, I entered the last dangerous stop... the gift shop. It is here that I spent way too much trying to capture a piece of history. Mostly gifts of consumable liquor made from the rice fields of North Korea, bamboo wine, chocolate (of course), and other paraphernalia that I deemed necessary at the time including an ice cream bar for the ride home.  It was quite a day and a memory to last a lifetime.