Team T International 2.0: Lots to Say About the DMZ

Yesterday we got as close as we will likely ever get to reclusive North Korea.

Earlier than we usually get up we set off in search of the T Mark Hotel. This was quite an endeavor and we arrived at our destination seconds before our van departed. After a transfer to a tour bus and an hour drive, we arrived at our first stop, a park which still outside of the civilian Access Control Zone. In the short 15 minutes we were allowed by our charismatic tour guide George, we rushed around in hopes to see everything this package tour destination had to offer. Barbed wire fences were layered in red and yellow ribbons and South Korean flags that danced in the breeze. They had inscriptions in Korean that we inferred spoke for reunification. Reunion seemed to be something many of the South Koreans we talked to really wanted. Many families had been divided when the North and South severed ties.

The splintered husk of a long forgotten locomotive peppered by bullets and shrapnel was also on display. The iron victim of the war had been discovered years after its derailment, deep in the wild forest between the countries.

Past the train was Freedom Bridge. This important historical structure’s cement supports blood red paint where shells had once ricocheted off the stone skin. We paid a few thousand won to get access to the restored segment of the bridge that had been bombed all those years ago. The bridge overlooked marshy wetlands that bordered the river. Across the wide stretch of water camouflaged and seemingly unmanned watch towers hid in the shadows of the treeline. The fact that no photography was allowed on the bridge didn't seem to stop tourists from pulling out their phones and snapping a few shots. We were whisked past bridges overlooking calm waters populated by koi and numerous statues by the tour guide. The whole family wished we had a little more time to see them before it was time to get back on the bus.

Family picture on Freedom Bridge, just in front of the No-Photo-Area

It was a short trip to the next attraction. The triangular red signs I caught a glance of as the foliage raced by warned of land mines, a vicious reminder of the horrors the tranquil woods had once endured. The notices were accompanied the occasional barracks and out buildings that stood at attention just off the road, whose only occupants seemed to be tour buses.
Our bus pulled up at one of my most anticipated aspects of the tour, The Third Infiltration Tunnel. This passage deep underground had been one of many that North Korea had dug in attempt to launch a surprise attack on it's southern neighbor. Thanks to a tip off, the South Korean and American forces had caught wind off the plot and drilled a series 107 holes deep into the earth, which they used to locate the tunnels. Absolutely no photography or even electronic devices were permitted in the tunnels, so unfortunately we can not show you what they look like.
After stowing our camera and other belongings in a locker and grabbing some yellow hard hats as well as a good dose of anticipation, we started our decent.

Mom, Nick and I outside the tunnel.
The statue symbolizes the separate halves of Korea

Mom said the South Korean interception tunnel reminded her of a Russian subway. It kind of reminded me of a tunnel a worm or burrowing mammal would excavate. I kept expecting for a 8 foot tall shrew to dig it's way through the wall. The angle was steep and it was a real workout for your legs. The original tunnel was 240 feet below ground and the access chute we had to take was no more than 200 meters, if that helps you visualize the pitch. We were ahead of the rest of our tour group when we arrived to the North Korean made section. There was an obvious difference between the two tunnels, the one we were now in had rough granite walls were the bedrock had clearly been blown apart by dynamite, where the interception and South Korean one was a large tube with a larger diameter and smooth walls. As we walked closer and closer to the 3rd barricade, a wall that stopped tourists and anyone really from crossing into the no man's land between countries, the ceiling was quite low. Condensation dripped from support beams only to fall an inch before it splats onto protected heads. Dad was glad he had that hard hat on as I estimate the highest point of the tunnel was no more than 6 5 foot 4 inches in places. After a 1,635 meter stroll deep under ground we arrived at a rusty iron door. A rectangular cut in the blockade gives a small glance into the flooded neutral territory between the estranged peninsula super powers. It's anti-climatic and entrancing at the same time if that is possible. Other than the standard reminder that photography is prohibited that was pretty much it. We shuffled back the way we came, past the rest of our tour and back into the medium sized room where the two tunnels met. In front of the entrance to the smooth and steep tunnel is a fountain with a picture of a cup next two it. Two cranes symbolizing reunification arch their neck over a marble turtle spewing spring water. North Korean water? Of course we had to try it!

Third Stop, the overlook. High on a hill perched a platform with a large collection of those super accurate binoculars. We had great views of the Demilitarized Zone as well as North Korea itself. Because I was a bit confused on the subject of what the DMZ is while I was looking right at it, let me try to explain it. The DMZ is a strip of land 160 miles long running east to west dividing the Korean Peninsula in two. No one, not even the military is allowed in this area, making it an ideal habitat for wildlife. However there are a view exceptions. Both North and South each have citizens that live inside the DMZ in two separate towns. Interestingly enough, we were told that the North Korean village is just a facade, with buildings with painted on windows hiding alongside unoccupied but normal buildings. The only people said to live there are only there to provide moment (as not to alert suspicion) and keep the town in order. The South Korean town has 200 residents. Of course there is Joint Security Area within the forbidden ground, where the North and South Korean leader meet. We could see it all from where we stood.
That was about all we will probably see of the North Korean boarder. Our tour also stopped at a train station where, if the countries were to unify back into one Korea, the already built train line would connect to the Northern capital Pyongyang.

Michele at the Overlook

View of North Korea and the DMZ

Nick and I signing art at the train station

As soon as we had lunch back in Seoul, we headed to the Korean War Museum. Dad and Nick had a good time learning about all the airplanes, trucks, tanks and artillery. We didn't have much time inside because we arrived an hour before closing time, but all kinds of relics were on display outside. We looked at all kinds of stuff from boats to troop transporting trucks. We sure learned a lot yesterday!