National Geographic Magazine - NGM.com By Tom O'Neill Photographs by Michael Yamashita Inside a "shoot house" at Camp Bonifas, South Korean infantrymen armed with live ammunition practice close-quarters combat. The soldiers are stationed a mile from Panmunjom, a DMZ enclave where meetings between North and South Korea are held. The Bonifas troops regularly practice rescue operations in case North Koreans should kidnap U.S. or South Korean officials meeting at Panmunjom. Day eighteen thousand, give or take a few, of the cease-fire between South and North Korea begins like most other days: Soldiers are preparing for war. In the bitter cold of pre-dawn darkness, 15 South Korean infantrymen huddle together on a road outside a sleeping farm village and streak their faces with camouflage paint. They snap magazines of live ammunition into their M4 assault rifles. With the wind comes a faint strain of martial music, as if from a ghostly parade, carrying from huge speakers mounted across the border in North Korea. At a hand signal from the platoon leader, the soldiers noiselessly line up and then disperse, melting into the surrounding blackness.

Their mission is to patrol a short stretch of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the contentious no-man's-land that has divided the two Koreas for 50 years. The bright lights of Seoul, the South Korean capital, burn less than 35 miles (56 kilometers) away, but here in the fenced-off, land-mined, guard-towered DMZ, the only reality is a shadowy cat-and-mouse game played between soldiers of warring armies. Every 15 minutes the radioman murmurs the platoon's position back to the command post: a road, a rice field dike, now the border itself. As the platoon approaches a North Korean guard tower, the leader signals his men to stay alert. If the patrol is particularly lucky, a North Korean soldier will recklessly dash through the brush and offer to defect with state secrets. If it is particularly unlucky, the North Koreans will open fire. That would be unlucky for all of us: In a worst-case scenario, Korea's uneasy peace could shatter, spilling war across the peninsula, with millions killed, and then possibly on to China, Japan, and beyond, pushing the world toward possible nuclear war. Apocalyptic thoughts come easy here.

In a world full of scary places—Kashmir, Chechnya, the West Bank—the DMZ is perhaps the scariest of all, considering the massive fire-power deployed on both sides and the brinkmanship practiced by the rival camps. All along the 148-mile (238-kilometer) truce line that bisects the Korean peninsula, hundreds of thousands of well-trained troops from two of the world's largest armies (plus more than half of the 37,000 United States troops stationed in South Korea) stand ready to fight, trained by their commanders to hate their ideological opposites and never to let their defenses down. This state of emergency has persisted since July 27, 1953, when an armistice agreement halted the vicious fighting of the three-year-old Korean War. The origins of the conflict go back to the end of World War II, when the peninsula was split at the 38th parallel by the Soviet Union and the United States as the Allies drove Japan out of Korea.

With the tacit consent of its Soviet patron, North Korea launched a surprise, tank-led invasion across the line on June 25, 1950, seeking to impose communist rule throughout the peninsula. China, another freshly minted communist power, entered the war in October, sending waves of soldiers into North Korea when UN forces threatened to overrun the Yalu River on the Chinese border. By 1953 almost 900,000 soldiers had died—and more than two million civilians had been killed or wounded—as the South Korean military, joined by United Nations troops composed mostly of American units, battled the forces of North Korea and China to a standstill. The end of fighting did not bring an end to hostilities. To separate enemies straining at their leashes, the armistice carved out the DMZ, a 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) wide swath of mostly mountainous land stretching across the peninsula near the 38th parallel designed to serve as a buffer zone, off-limits to large troop concentrations and to heavy weaponry like tanks and artillery. Straight down its center was drawn the political border, called the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).

Then as now, anyone trying to cross the MDL would likely be shot. To this day, South Korea and North Korea do not recognize each other as sovereign nations. In fact the two Koreas are officially still at war. And often they act like it, keeping tensions sharp as a blade throughout the peninsula and especially along the DMZ. 10 Top Facts: The Korean War - Page 2 of 2 10 Top Facts: The Korean War SHARE: Facebook Twitter 6. The 38th Parallel Has Always Been the Topic Of Discussion In the late 1890s, Japan looked to separate the Korean Peninsula into two countries with Russia. Japan’s idea was simple: they split the peninsula in half at the 38th parallel and Russia would control the north, while Japan would control the south. But it wasn’t until 1945 that the peninsula would be split. The demilitarized zone is partially based on the 38th parallel, even crossing paths in several areas. Military Demarcation Line sign. There are over 1,200 of these along the line. Photo Credit 7.

The United States Dropped a Lot of Bombs The United States military dropped more bombs during the Korean War than they did during the fight in the Pacific Theatre in World War II. It’s estimated the U.S. dropped 635,000 tons of bombs on Korea, and about 32,000 tons of that was napalm. North Korea was decimated, as most of their important buildings including schools, government offices, businesses, etc. were destroyed. 8. Deadly The Korean War is often regarded as the Forgotten War, as it lacked a lot of public attention. Though it lacked attention, there were a lot of military personnel and civilians killed or wounded due to the war. It’s estimated that around 2.5 million civilians were either wounded, killed, missing or abducted during the war, while over 2 million troops were either killed, wounded or missing. 9. Military Demarcation Line There is the demilitarized zone, and then there is the military demarcation line. This line lies within the demilitarized zone and acts as the actual border of the two countries.

The line, as well the demilitarized zone, are products of the 1953 armistice. To mark where the line is, there are exactly 1,292 signs along the line that note the military demarcation line. On the North side, the signs are written in Korean and Chinese while on the South side, they are written in Korean and English. Reckless seen in a combat situation in Korea. 10. A Horse of Importance An unlikely animal is heralded as a hero of the Korean War. Sergeant Reckless was a thoroughbred Mongolian horse bought by several United States troops who trained the horse to run supplies like ammo and food to the battlefield. She learned the routes fairly quickly and served in many combat situations. In one such situation, the Battle for Outpost Vegas, she ran the route 51 times bringing supplies to the troops in need. FEATURED VIDEO What Is a DMZ or Demilitarized Zone? By Kallie Szczepanski Updated December 09, 2015. A DMZ or demilitarized zone is a strip of land dividing two opposing military forces.

These zones are usually a result of a treaty or agreement between the warring parties. In this officially neutral area, the warring factions are not allowed to maintain troops or installations, and they are prohibited from conducting any military operations. DMZs generally follow existing borders or boundaries of nations or internal regions, although this is not necessarily true in every case. The most famous present-day DMZ is the one dividing North Korea and South Korea , roughly along the 38th Parallel. Korea's DMZ was established by the UN in 1953, when the Korean War Armistice was negotiated. Technically, the two nations are still at war, and the Korean DMZ is the most heavily fortified border in the world. The DMZ is about 160 miles (250 km) long, running from the Sea of Japan (East Sea) in the east to the East China Sea in the west. The two Koreas exchange fire across the line fairly regularly. continue reading below our video 10 Best Universities in the United States Despite that, the DMZ is a very popular tourist destination, giving visitors from the southern side a glimpse of North Korea.

The Korean DMZ is about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) wide, and serves as a de facto wildlife refuge since humans are barred from the area. Rare and endangered species including red-crowned cranes, musk deer, black bears, and Amur gorals have been spotted there. Local farmers have informed me that there are even a couple of tigers in the DMZ, although to my knowledge this has not been confirmed by scientists. Unfortunately, the DMZ is heavily mined, and the larger animals sometimes step on and set off the landmines. During the Vietnam War , there was a DMZ between North and South Vietnam , as well. It followed the course of the Ben Hai River, roughly, and ran from the border with Laos in the west to the South China Sea in the East. The Vietnamese DMZ was officially agreed to at the 1954 Geneva Conference, and lasted as the official border between North and South Vietnam until the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, when the North overran the South and reunited the country. Today, the Vietnamese DMZ is a tourist attraction like its Korean equivalent, though of course Vietnam is no longer at war.

More than 40 years after the war ended, visitors have to be careful to stay on the roads and paths, because unexploded ordinance litters the area. There are several additional active DMZs in Asia currently. These include the UN-controlled zone between the Golan Heights (held by Israel) and the rest of Syria . This DMZ was created by UN Security Council Resolution 242 as part of the ceasefire negotiations after the 1973 Yom Kippur War . The Golan Heights DMZ was comparatively quiet and peaceful for much of the past four decades, but is now sustaining heavy combat at times due to the Syrian Civil War. Another DMZ that was created in the Middle East in 1973 was the Kuwaiti/Iraqi border zone. The Arab League declared it as a DMZ after the 1973 Sanita Border Skirmish. The UN Security Council formalized this DMZ after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 but was driven out the following year.

Although the UN no longer mandates this DMZ, since the fall of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in 2003, Kuwait still maintains an electrified concertina wire fence 15 feet wide, surrounded by a 15 foot deep trench, all along its border with Iraq. More recently, in 2011 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared a newly activated provisional DMZ in the area around the disputed Preah Vihear temple, on the border between Cambodia and Thailand . In 2013, the ICJ ruled that the land all around the temple belonged to Cambodia, and ordered Thailand to withdraw all of its personnel from the area. Welcome to the DMZ: Touring the Korean Demilitarized Zone | The Bohemian Blog Welcome to the DMZ: Touring the Korean Demilitarized Zone Dark Tourism , Military , North Korea Stretching for 250km across the Korean Peninsula, the Demilitarized Zone (or DMZ) that divides North Korea from South Korea is one of the world’s most notorious and long-standing war zones.

It has existed since July 27th 1953, when an uneasy armistice was brokered between the socialist DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) in the north, and the UN-backed ROK (Republic of Korea) in the south. Today the Korean War remains unresolved, and the DMZ survives as the most heavily militarized border in the world. Strange though it may seem, the Korean Demilitarized Zone is also something of a tourist hotspot – drawing thousands of curious visitors each year. I made it down to the DMZ crossing at Panmunjom, and joined the coach-loads of Chinese tourists bound for a tour of the Demilitarized Zone. A Brief History of the Korean DMZ There is only one point where it is possible to cross the Korean Demilitarized Zone, and this is where I was headed. At Panmunjom , military barracks rise up high on either side of a central demarcation line. Here the 4km-wide no-man’s land is heavily fortified and patrolled night and day by armed guards.

The Korean DMZ was formed following an armistice agreement, in which both parties were required to withdraw their troops 2000m from the front line.[1] There they’ve stayed for more than half a century now, both nations poised and ready for war. The Military Demarcation Line (MDL) marks the centre point of the Demilitarized Zone, across which neither side is permitted to set foot. It’s an uneasy ceasefire, and recent conflicts are only the latest in a long history of hostilities along the Korean DMZ. A series of skirmishes in the late 1960s left 43 American, 299 South Korean and 397 North Korean soldiers dead. Throughout the following decades, there have been numerous incidents involving North Korean commandos attempting to infiltrate south of the DMZ; these attacks have generally made use of tunnels dug deep beneath the ground. Known as the ‘Tunnels of Aggression’, four such passages have now been discovered and sealed. The DPRK claimed that these tunnels – fitted with sleeping quarters, electric lights and narrow gauge railways – were dug for mining coal.

Though most stories concern incursions from the north, recently declassified minutes from meetings between Henry Kissinger and the US Deputy Secretary of Defence also revealed evidence of more than 200 previously unreported raids into North Korea – perpetrated by South Korean troops. Naturally, the US has denied any involvement in the planning or execution of these raids. Other notable skirmishes include the 1976 Axe Murder Incident , in which two soldiers were killed over the attempted trimming of a poplar tree that was blocking the view; in 1984, when a Soviet tourist to the DMZ tried to defect to the South, the resulting gunfight claimed the lives of four soldiers. The Road to Seoul The DMZ lies several hours’ drive from the North Korean city of Kaesong . This close to the border, the military presence is more palpable than in other parts of the country. On a few occasions I spotted soldiers cycling to their posts, vintage assault rifles poking their noses out from wicker baskets strung beneath handlebars. On the road south from Kaesong a poignant sign reads “Seoul: 70km”.

We pulled into the entrance of the military barracks at Panmunjom on our KITC tour coach, to be met by a busy throng of Chinese tourists stood around a cluster of low buildings.[2] Here we were ushered off the vehicle and into a series of souvenir shops while the coach was rigorously checked by DMZ officials. This first checkpoint was heavily garrisoned, with sentries stood watch along a metal gate leading into the Demilitarized Zone itself. A large, free-standing sign was illustrated with a single finger raised triumphantly in front of an outline of the Korean peninsula; accompanied by the Korean word for “Reunification”. I browsed for a while through a shop filled with collectors’ stamp books, postcards, DPRK flags and t-shirts. In the next room were a series of museum-style exhibits, and maps of the DMZ. We were given a brief lecture on the history of the battlefield, which our Korean guide illustrated with a wooden pointer; sweeping it in wide arcs over a wall-mounted painting of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. I got chatting to one of the Chinese tourists during the lecture: a politics student from Beijing.

It was his third visit to the DMZ, he told me with undisguised glee. Our small group (British, Danish, Finish and American) spent the best part of an hour at the checkpoint, before being invited to board a new vehicle – a minibus that we were to share with a family from Sweden. In addition to our two female KITC guides, we were now joined by a local expert, a North Korean Colonel stationed at the DMZ. We drove to Panmunjom. It was here that the armistice agreement was signed in 1953, between the Command forces of North Korea, the UN and the People’s Republic of China. This agreement set out the terms of the Korea Demilitarized Zone, specifying the number of troops and types of weapons that may be deployed by either side. We visited the very building where negotiations took place, meeting tables arranged just as they had been on the day of the armistice. Two walls inside now served as a kind of museum exhibit, chronicling the progress of the peace talks.

It was a strange feeling to drive through this picturesque landscape of wild grasses, trees and streams, knowing full well that any deviance from the approved routes could soon result in fatality; the DMZ is reckoned to be the largest live minefield on the planet [3]. Meanwhile, above the horizon a distant flagpole flew a red star flanked in blue; now a familiar site, after four days in Pyongyang [4]. The Military Demarcation Line It was just a short drive from here to the border with South Korea, at the meeting point known as the Joint Security Area (JSA). On either side of the demarcation line, large buildings had been raised: square, grey constructions fitted with guns and telescopes. The space between them was perforated by a series of blue huts, aligned along the very border itself. Aside from times of official meetings between the rival leaders, only one side may occupy the JSA at a given time; today was the turn of the DPRK. Inside the central hut, we gathered around a long wooden table. Stretching sideways across the middle of the building, this meeting table straddles the literal border between the two republics. I sat south of the MDL.

On a wall in the back of the room, a framed display showed the flags of North Korea’s enemies. The United Nations and South Korea were ranked highest, standing apart from the others. After those followed a list including the USA, Australia, Germany, Canada and Britain [5]. Once seated around the table, our Colonel friend took position at the eastern end. He spoke in Korean about the war, the armistice and the future of the Korean peninsula; a translator on his right echoing each line in Chinese, while one of our KITC guides repeated for the rest of us in English. The Korean Demilitarized Zone roughly follows the path of the 38th parallel north . At the end of WWII, this represented the boundary between the US and Soviet administrative areas on the Korean peninsula. The Korean War erupted soon after, lasting from 1950 to 1953, and claiming over 3 million lives. It was an ideological struggle, commonly accepted to have been instigated by the DPRK launching a full-scale invasion across the 38th parallel. The Korean War is seen by many as the symbolic onset of the Cold War, with Stalin’s USSR lending military strength and financial assistance to the fledging DPRK.

To hear the North Koreans tell it however, it was the USA who started the Korean War; as a result of their efforts to install a puppet government in the south. The Soviet role is much downplayed, and they choose to focus on internal factors (such as the brave revolutionary struggle led by President Kim Il-sung ), rather than talk of gaining outside help. The ultimate goal of the DPRK, the Colonel told us, was to see the reunification of the Korean people. These two countries would exist as semi-autonomous states, governed by one central government consisting of representatives from both sides of the border. One potential name currently being suggested for this reunited peninsula is the ‘Federal Republic of Koryo’ [6]. However, this reunification could only be achieved, we were told, in accordance with three principle criteria. The first was to find a democratic solution. The Colonel insisted that North Korea would only seek a reunification model which best suited the needs of both north and south, rather than settling for a compromise. The second point was that this move should take place without bloodshed; it should be the result of peaceful negotiation rather than conflict. Taking into account recent events , the third stipulation seems to be something of a stumbling block.

Our host told us that the DPRK considered it paramount for Korea’s problems to be resolved by Korea – and without reliance on outside interference. In view of this last point, there seems to be some degree of consistency in the recent actions of North Korea. The DPRK believe the USA to have been instrumental in the deteriorating relationship between the Korean nations, and blame the States for provoking the Korean War through their political involvement with the south. North Korea Now Many North Koreans believe (rightly or wrongly) that their socialist society was viewed as a threat to America’s western imperialism; and that a foothold in the south would allow the USA to further subdue the DPRK. The Cold War strengthened these fears and suspicions, as the communist North grew ever closer to the Soviet Union. Nowadays, North Korea’s political philosophy of Juche Thought is the last bastion of the Marxist-Leninst tradition; and so it should come as no surprise that recent US involvement and military cooperation with South Korea makes this hermit nation more than a little uncomfortable. The message to Seoul is, send your American friends home, and then we’ll talk. Recent defensive measures taken by the US on the Korean peninsula could easily be condemned as throwing oil on the fire.

However, North Korea has not shown itself to be the most trustworthy of neighbours in the past; and while the DPRK’s mission statement sounds reasonable enough, it’s hard to know exactly what would happen if South Korea were suddenly left exposed to their volatile cousins. Now, for the first time, the UN is investigating cases of human rights abuses in North Korea . Each day seems to bring further threats of hostility, as the north rattles its sabres and the south replies with a growing US military presence. It’s very hard to know how things will end. Having been in the country just two days ago, the feeling I got was mixed; anger, frustration, indignation and no small amount of regret. The North’s televised news reports were a passionate rhetoric on the need to strike back against those who would threaten the freedom of the DPRK. Though every Korean I spoke to claimed to desire peace, South Korea’s love affair with the US, combined with the perceived escalation of aggression against the DPRK, is something that nobody here seems prepared to suffer any longer [7]. Given the current state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula, I fear the answer will come sooner rather than later. [1] The DMZ was never completely abandoned, however.

Both the north and south maintain ‘peace villages’, settlements which lie within sight of one another’s borders. Residents in the southern village of Daeseong-dong are exempt from tax and military service; meanwhile, many of the buildings at North Korea’s Kijŏng-dong village are no more than beautifully painted shells, regularly maintained to give the illusion of habitation. Both sides have used these idyllic villages for the purposes of propaganda over the years, tempting defectors over with the illusion of unrealistic levels of comfort and civilisation. [2] The ‘KITC’, or ‘Korean International Travel Company’, is one of the main government bodies that caters to tourism within the DPRK. [3] An interesting side note is that due to many decades of human absence, the Demilitarized Zone is also recognised as one of the world’s best preserved areas of temperate habitat. There are numerous endangered species of plant and animals which live in the narrow buffer zone – with an estimated 320 species of bird, 70 mammals and 2,900 plant species.

[4] At a height of 160m, the North Korean flagpole at Kijŏng-dong is the third tallest in the world. It was the tallest at the time it was first raised in answer to South Korea’s 100m tall flagpole at Daeseong-dong. [5] Japan may seem conspicuous in their absence here. The reason for this is that while Japan may be recognised as a long-standing enemy of the DPRK (primarily for the acts of cruelty committed during their WWII-era occupation of the Korean Peninsula), they are not here implicated for a role in the Korean War. [6] ’Koryo’ being the name of the ancient Kingdom which once occupied this peninsula, and gave birth to modern day Korea. [7] As one might imagine, the DPRK’s leaders seem more interested in war than do its citizens. I found the North Koreans to be an honest, friendly bunch – however, their state controlled news broadcasts fill them with daily fears for the safety of their very existence.

Just the other day I saw a report on North Korean television which claimed that South Korea was planning to destroy the (almost sacred) statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il situated on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang . Like all the best lies, there is a little truth behind the story; last year, a revolutionary group in South Korea was indeed plotting the destruction of the statues, but they were later discovered and stopped by South Korea’s own government. The Exclusion Zone. The Bohemian Blog is bigger than it looks. In fact, there’s a whole restricted area hidden away behind the public pages… a space where patrons of the site can access exclusive content, book previews and private image galleries. It’s called The Exclusion Zone . Just sponsor me the equivalent of a cup of coffee for each new article I post, and I’ll send you the password. Check out my page on Patreon to find out more about the perks of getting involved. Share this.

South Korea Facts | About South Korea | Rough Guides Asia » South Korea » Fact file • The Korean peninsula is split in two by the 4km-wide Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), sharing borders with China and – for about 20km, south of Vladivostok – Russia. These frontiers form a northern boundary with North Korea – the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” – whose population of around 24 million live in an area half the size of the United Kingdom. South Korea, also known as the “Republic of Korea”, is slightly smaller and has a population of 49 million, making it the world’s 26th most populous country. • Ethnic Koreans dominate the peninsula’s population, making North and South Korea two of the most ethnically homogeneous societies on earth. Before splitting, both were traditionally Buddhist nations – though deeply steeped in Confucianism and shamanistic ritual. Since then the North has followed Juche, a local brand of Communism, while in the South Christianity has become the most popular religion.

• Before the Japanese occupation in 1910, the Silla, Goryeo and Joseon dynasties were ruled over by an unbroken run of 116 monarchs, dating back to 57 BC. • The economies of South and North Korea were almost equal in size until the mid-1970s. The “Economic Miracle” that followed in the South has propelled it to the cusp of the world’s top ten economies, while the North languishes just above 100th place. Essentials DMZ (Korea) – Travel guide at Wikivoyage Understand[ edit ] The DMZ runs from the Yellow Sea to the west to the East Sea (Sea of Japan) with the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) directly in the middle. It runs along the northern border of the two South Korean regions of Gyeonggi and Gangwon . The DMZ is highly militarized on both sides, and very little civilian or military activity occurs within the DMZ region itself. It has become a wildlife haven for both animals and migratory birds, and there are calls to preserve it as a national park and sanctuary for wildlife in the event of reunification on the Korean peninsula.

History[ edit ] The DMZ was founded in 1953 at the end of the Korean War as a result of the armistice agreement between the United Nations, North Korea, China and the Soviet Union. It was agreed to create a buffer zone 4 kilometer wide, with only a minimal military presence and patrols occurring within the DMZ itself. Since more than 50 years have passed, it has had the side-effect of creating a zone with minimal development and thereby allowing nature to take over. Landscape[ edit ] Sign marking the DMZ dating back 50 years and counting The DMZ has very varied landscape, from the rivers and estuaries of the west near Seoul , to the mountainous areas to the east in Gangwon . Nature has very much taken over and forests and grasslands exist all along the border. Flora and fauna[ edit ] The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) weighing up to about 200kg is endangered and can be found roaming the DMZ. Moose, leopard, Eurasian lynx, and Goral sheep are other mammals found in the zone.

It has been often rumored that the Siberian Tiger lives here as well, although this seems unlikely considering the creature had disappeared from the Korean peninsula long before World War 2. The DMZ is a perfect spot for migratory birds to rest during winter before returning to Siberia in the summer. Black-faced spoonbills, red-crowned cranes and white-naped cranes can be seen. Climate[ edit ] The DMZ is very long, spanning two provinces in South Korea from coast to coast, and the climate will vary along it. The eastern part is especially mountainous and cold in winter. Get in[ edit ] NOTE: Access to the DMZ is occasionally curtailed at short notice when tensions rise, for example in May 2010 during the aftermath of the sinking of a South Korean warship. As of October 2013 tours are operating normally again. Fees/Permits[ edit ] There are strong nationality restrictions for entering the DMZ area. Tours to Panmunjeom have the strongest restrictions. Get around[ edit ] Many of the destinations listed as inside the DMZ will usually require a guided tour bus with a fixed itinerary. Destinations just outside of the DMZ do not have these travel restrictions.

See[ edit ] Tunnel Fever North Korea has built numerous infiltration tunnels into South Korean territory, four of which have been discovered. South Korea and the United States believe they have the sole purpose of allowing North Korea to send troops behind South Korean lines for an attack. North Korea claimed (after the discovery of the third) that they were simply mining for coal, although geologists will note that the granite area makes that somewhat unlikely. Many South Koreans fear that there are more tunnels, and since there is no way to disprove this suspicion, it impels a few dedicated citizens to finance and pursue their own tunnel hunts, a psychological condition termed 'tunnel fever'. From Seoul[ edit ] 37.956 126.677 1 Panmunjeom . The iconic location for half a century of unresolved peace talks. See the specific article for details 37.897546 126.707454 2 Dorasan Korail Station (도라산). Just outside of the DMZ near Paju is a fully operational rail station connected to the South Korean and North Korean rail network.

No train to North Korea has run since 2008, and currently it is completely symbolic with just a handful of tourist trains from Seoul ; however, it is intended to be a connection between the capital cities of Seoul and Pyongyang . You can buy a ticket to walk around the station, as well as get your passport stamped with a symbolic 'visa'. Visiting Dorasan is part of many DMZ tour itineraries. 37.89057 126.743503 3 Imjingak, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do. 09:00-18:00. A four-storey museum and observatory 7 km south of the DMZ, with views across the Imjin River towards the DMZ and North Korea. The train line to Pyongyang passes nearby. This is the closest you can get to the DMZ without security clearance. First Infiltration Tunnel The first tunnel was discovered in 1974, and an explosive device left by the North Koreans killed an American and a South Korean soldier. It does not appear possible to visit this location.

37.933231 126.671147 4 Third Infiltration Tunnel (Near Paju ). A tunnel that was secretly dug by the North Koreans into South Korean territory; there are suspicions that there are others. The tunnels are an interesting visit but if you are tall, they will be extremely uncomfortable to walk along the full distance allowed. 37.773462 126.676304 5 Odusan Unification Observatory , 659, Seongdong-ri, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, 경기도 파주시 탄현면 필승로 367. The Odusan Unification Observatory near Paju gives visitors a clear of North Korea. Products from North Korea are also sold here. The observatory is closed for the months of December and January but is opened the rest of the year.

37.826506 126.433398 6 Ganghwa Peace Observatory (강화평화전망대), 6-1, Cheolsan-ri, Yangsa-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon-si, 인천 강화군 양사면 전망대로 797. A view station inside the DMZ. From Cheorwon[ edit ] 38.186184 127.287591 7 Goseokjeong Pavilion . This two-story tower was established under King Jinpyeong of the Silla Kingdom. Goseokjeong Pavilion was built above a valley, surrounded by cliffs and clear, blue waters. The battlefield conservation office here is the starting point for DMZ tours. Woljeong-ri Station and Cheorui Samgakji observatory . This was a through-station before the division of the two Koreas, but now is the northernmost terminal station near the southern boundary of the DMZ. A large sign says: "The train wants to run", symbolizing the tragedy of national division.

The observatory next to it has the capacity for 300 people at once. Through eight sets of high-quality binoculars visitors can view the DMZ, the Pyeonggang highlands and propaganda village (a village built only to brag that North Korea is enjoying high living standards), a Kim Il Sung native home, and "Bloody Ridge" in North Korea. 38.182069 127.278557 8 The Second Infiltration Tunnel (제 2땅굴). Discovered in 1975, the Second Underground Tunnel is wide enough to allow 30,000 soldiers an hour to pass and even large armored vehicles. The tunnel has been developed into a tourist site so that visitors can tour the tunnel 38.255841 127.200472 9 Labor Party Building (철원 노동당사). Built in 1946 under fund-raising and labor forced by the North Korean government, the shelled-out carcass of a building is in Soviet-type architecture with concrete building. For security reasons, only devoted communist partisans were allowed to work within the building.

Seungilgyo Bridge. A bridge that North and South Korea built together - the North completed the basic construction and two piers while the remaining parts were completely by the South. The name of the bridge is Seungilgyo after 'Seung' of the first South Korean President Syngman Rhee and 'Il' of the first North Korean President Kim Il Sung so as to commemorate the ironic construction process. (updated Nov 2015) From Yanggu[ edit ] 38.286703 128.131113 10 Punch Bowl, Haean-myon, Yanggu-gun, Gangwon-do. A valley in 400-500m highlands near the coast of Yanggu-gun. American reporters dubbed this basin the punch bowl. From Dolsanryeong (between the east side and coasts in Yanggu-gun), visitors can view the beautiful panorama of the sea of fog that often hangs around the punch bowl. Fourth Infiltration Tunnel 38.255841 127.200472 11 The Fourth Infiltration Tunnel.

This is the only North Korean-dug tunnel discovered with motorized vehicles inside. The water flowing out from the tunnel has filtered through mountain rock and is considered healthy enough to drink. 38.296673 128.10349 12 Eulji Observatory Tower (을지전망대), Hyeon2-ri, Haean-myeon, Yanggu-gun, Gangwon-do, 강원 양구군 해안면 땅꿀로. Located 1,049m above sea level and one of the bitterest battlegrounds of the Korean War. From the tower, visitors can see the checkpoint and farms in North Korea and four peaks including Birobong, the highest in the Geumgangsan Diamond Mountains.

From Goseong[ edit ] 38.586283 128.375916 13 Goseong Unification Observatory (고성 통일전망대), 457, Tongiljeonmangdae-ro, Hyeonnae-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do 강원도 고성군 현내면 통일전망대로 457. As the observatory closest to North Korea and the northernmost point of South Korea , more than one million people visit this area on an annual basis. Visitors can see the Geumgangsan (Diamond Mountains) and the Haegeumgang in North Korea, with the naked eye, and unlike many other observatories, photographs are allowed everywhere. In the observatory North Korean food products are for sale, and the North Korean beer is actually quite good. Several clunky North Korean-made Viewmasters give three-dimensional slide shows of idyllic scenes from North Korea , with commentary in Korean, for a 500 Won coin.

The windy road to the observatory brings forth a sense of tension due to the barbed-wire entanglements along the coast and soldiers stationed on alert at a checkpoint along the approach. Tickets and passage papers have to be obtained 4km before the first checkpoint or you will be made to turn around. The building to obtain these papers is not hard to find, it is on the left as you drive North just after the "World Mineral Museum," but the sign 100m before it is only in Korean. Adults ₩3,000, Children ₩1,500. 38.489993 128.430001 14 Maritime Museum. Located at the entrance of Hwajinpo Beach, the Maritime Museum exhibits 40,000 articles of 1,500 types of shellfish, corals and fossils, some of which are very rare. Jejin Railway Station. A railway station in the south that could one day be connected back to the North.

38.482603 128.425516 15 Summerhouse of Kim Il Sung (From Hwajinpo Beach to Kim Il Sung’s residence follow the main road, cross the bridge and go straight on. Then turn left at the crossroads and walk for 5 minutes.). The house is embedded in a cliff where you can have a bird's eye view of the beautiful Hwajinpo beach. There is an exhibition of Kim Il Sung's personal belongings including furniture. On the stairs up to the summerhouse, photos are displayed of Kim Jeong-il during his early days. Places of interest in the South[ edit ] The following locations are not near the DMZ, however they may be of interest to DMZ visitors. 37.536274 126.976025 1 The War Memorial of Korea (전쟁기념관), 29 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 서울특별시 용산구 이태원로 29 (용산동1가). 09:00 - 18:00 (Closed Mondays).

The original headquarters of the South Korean infantry, this is now a large museum dedicated to the Korean War over 8 exhibits. 35.128298 129.09577 2 United Nations Memorial Cemetery (재한유엔기념공원), 93, UNpyeonghwa-ro, Nam-gu, Busan 부산광역시 남구 유엔평화로 93. The only official United Nations cemetery in the world, it serves to honor the memory of soldiers from 16 nations who fought and died for the freedom of South Korea. This location is very far away from the DMZ on the south coast of the nation. Free. DMZ Tours[ edit ] The easiest way to experience the DMZ is to take a tour that will organize all the permit issues for you: The Panmunjeom DMZ tour is the most popular, with visitors able to visit the iconic 'peace village' as well as being the closest to Seoul . Gangwon Province DMZ tour in Cheorwon Gangwon Province DMZ tour in Yanggu Gangwon Province DMZ tour on the East coast at Goseong , about 50km North of Sokcho .

Buy[ edit ] The gift shop at the American Camp Bonifas near Panmunjeom has some exclusive souvenirs (such as T-Shirts, mugs, etc) to remind you of having got close to North Korea . Lodging[ edit ] Camp Bonifas. United States Military personnel (including veterans) may apply to stay at Camp Bonifas, close to the village of Panmunjeom Camping[ edit ] Camping is not a popular pastime among South Koreans, and it would be unlikely to get permission from the United Nations command to allow you to do so in the DMZ itself. Stay safe[ edit ] WARNING: Do not attempt to cross the DMZ border under any circumstance as that would risk your life, the lives of members of your tour group and the lives of soldiers from both sides. Visiting the DMZ is actually very safe as long as you follow all the rules. Do bear in mind that both sides treat this as a war zone in suspended animation and therefore doing anything unusual is a very bad idea. Non-human threats include a great number of landmines all along the border.

Go next[ edit ] Assuming you are on the South Korean side, you will have all the usual possibilities in South Korea : Tour of Korea's Demilitarized Zone | PBS NewsHour EMAIL BY Larisa Epatko January 17, 2011 at 10:23 AM EST 55474Tour of Korea's Demilitarized ZoneNorth and South Korean guards face each other across the demilitarized zone. The NewsHour takes a tour of the site.2011-01-17 13:35:00disabled2178334685 PANMUNJOM, Korean border | Although it stands for the “demilitarized zone,” the DMZ is the most militarized border in the world, U.S. Army Col. Kurt Taylor told us during our recent tour of the buffer zone separating North and South Korea. The 2.5-mile strip of land (and in some places water) crosses the 38th parallel and cuts the Korean peninsula in half. North and South Korean soldiers stand at attention on either side, facing — and sometimes filming — each other and, as we soon discovered, visitors.

Conference Row, which straddles the demarcation line, is where delegates on either side meet to try to address breaches of the armistice agreement. Taylor said the two sides have a custom since 1953 of greeting each member of the other’s team before each meeting. “It’s important that there be trust and confidence that the person on the other side of the table what he says is what he means,” said Taylor. Further down the road, a stone marker and layers of barbed wire line the southern barrier fence. Photos by Larisa Epatko ( see more ). On Monday’s NewsHour, we’ll air a report on the heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula. Follow us on Twitter .

Question: What peninsula is split in half by a "demilitarized zone"?
Answer: Korea