North Korea

We spent a day visiting the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. This is a picture of the North Korean flag flying in the DMZ.

First we were taken to the southern border of the 4-kilometer-wide DMZ to see various points of interest relating to the war.

Among them was an infiltration tunnel that the North has dug under the DMZ in preparation for an attack on the South. The South has found four such tunnels so far and assumes that there are many more as yet undiscovered.

We weren't allowed to take pictures there. In fact, photography is forbidden in much of the area. Above is a picture that Sky took of the line near the DMZ beyond which photography is not allowed.

We were given lunch and then those who had signed up for a visit inside the DMZ were taken to a military base where we had to sign the above waiver. Only passport holders from certain countries are allowed into the DMZ. Neither Hong Kong Chinese nor South Koreans are allowed in, for example.

This is a picture of Sky's waiver. They gave the waivers back to us after the visit to keep as souvenirs.

The waiver was quite intimidating. It allowed us to enter the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom, which is a small neutral zone inside the DMZ occupied by both U.N. troops and North Korean troops. While a temporary armistice remains in effect, the war has never ended. Click on the photo above to read the most interesting part of the waiver.

There are two villages inside the DMZ, one is a South Korean village. The villagers are given all sorts of incentives to live there. The other is a North Korean village, but according to the South Koreans, no one really lives there. It is for propaganda purposes only. Each village flies a flag on a high flag pole. The North Korean's flag flies the highest.

In the center of the Joint Security Area are a series of pre-fabricated meeting rooms that straddle the military demarcation line - the actual border between North and South Korea. The South Korean guards facing North stand half-hidden behind the buildings so that they can duck for cover in case a firefight breaks out.

The border is marked by a concrete strip between the meeting rooms. The last time there was shooting in the zone was 1984 when a Soviet defector ran from the North side to the South. Three North Korean soldiers and one South Korean soldier died.

We were taken into one of the meeting rooms. In the middle of each sits a table that straddles the North-South border. The North Koreans sit on the North side and the South Korean or U.N. representatives sit on the South side. Several South Korean guards were in the room while we visited. We were allowed to walk around to the North side, so we were technically in North Korea.

We were also allowed to take pictures with one of the guards, although we were warned not to touch him. He didn't move at all while we were in the room.

In fact there were all sorts of rules about which they were very strict. We were not allowed to point at anything, for example.

Later, we were led out to a viewing platform overlooking the North side of the Joint Security Area.

A North Korean guard was there watching with binoculars.

It was a fascinating visit.