(3) 90 in 90: Trip to the DMZ

A child's drawing asking for peace between North and South Korea

July was a busy month for me. Not only did I take my summer vacation to Japan during this time, but I also participated in a tour of the DMZ between North and South Korea. This was a trip that I had wanted to participate in since I first came to Korea, but never really found the best time to do so. After an offer from a friend, the right opportunity finally presented itself and my trip was finally booked to go and visit the DMZ.

The first thing that struck me as our tour bus made its way from Seoul to the DMZ area, was the bleakness of the landscape. While it wasn't anything like a bombed out or barren wasteland, the area was devoid of any kind of architecture with the exception of a few small farm buildings here and there. The landscape was dotted with fields and hills from all sides. The sky was grey and overcast that day, making the entire experience all the more somber. This was a very different places from the crowded and loud Seoul.

I was able to visit five places on the tour: the meeting center where negotiations between North and South Korea take place, Dorason Station, the third tunnel, Dora Observatory and finally, the DMZ area.

Outside Dorasan Station

While the negotiation building was just a simple gray building that really didn't seem too impressive outside its unique purpose, Dorason Station was particularly interesting. Its purpose was to be a link between North and South Korea in the event of unification. Currently, its just s small train station that serves as a tourist spot, but according to the tour information, it can be activated at a moment's notice and start function as the main from or transportation to the capital of North Korea.

The third tunnel was one of three underground tunnels dug by North Korea as a means to infiltrate and conquer Seoul. The three tunnels were of varying size and length, but the one we were able to go to was a tunnel meant to send troops from North Korea. What shocked me the most was just how small and claustrophobic the tunnel was. On numerous occasions I found myself having to duck to avoid the ceiling and even hit my head a few times. Luckily, the tour provided each guest with a helmet. Combined with the lack of light and moistness of the rocks, it helped to build an image of a North Korean solider marching hundreds of miles through a tiny tunnel to invade a major metropolitan city above. Despite being one of the shortest parts of the tour, it was the one part that sticks out in my mind the most.

JSA guard

The Dora Observatory was a large observation building located near the border between the North and South. From the top, North Korea was able to be seen off in the distance. While I couldn't quite make out the fine details, I was able to notice smoke trails and what appeared to be factory pipes off in the distance. Probably the best view I would ever get of North Korea without being uncomfortably close. This provided another memorable experience, because despite the constant stories of the evils and mistreatment of its citizens from within, from far away it looks like any other city you could see from a distance. Its appearance of normalcy from far away was very unnerving considering what could possibly be occurring inside.

The JSA or Joint Security Area was host to some of the more famous parts of the DMZ including the Bridge of No Return, the large flagpole and the small blue buildings guarded by soldiers. Similar to the guards at Buckingham Palace, these soldiers stood at attention, emotionless and expressionless as we passed them by. Off in the distance I was able to see a North Korean soldier at attention. His eyes focused on the land ahead of him as he tightly clutched his assault riffle. Two decades long enemies, standing only a couple dozen feet away from one another.

Once the tour was over, we we able to walk around the gift shop area. Along with the usual assortment of trinkets and souvenirs, one of the most interesting things on sale were bottles of North Korean whiskey. I was tempted to buy some for myself, but in the end convinced myself not to. I wasn't exactly a huge fan of whiskey and I was certain the whiskey from North Korea would do little to change my opinion.

North Korean whiskey

The trip to the DMZ was an enlightening experience and one that I was glad that I took. I felt that being able to actually visit the sites and places that I have only read about before helped to bring the impact home. This was a real place, the result of a deadly and ugly conflict that killed hundreds of people and tore a country into two.

I'm not sure I'll be going back anytime in the near future, but like many things in life, I was happy that I was able to experience it and will most likely hang on to the memories for the foreseeable future.