DMZ Tour

Hanging out with the North Korean Soldier in a "modified taekwondo position". I was terrified. Not that you can tell or anything.

While going to bed at 4:45am usually means it was a pretty interesting evening. Waking up at 4:45am is never my idea of a good time. But this is what I did a few weeks ago in order to trek to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. The tour was with the USO and we had to report at the office (over an hour subway ride from my apartment) before 7:00am. After boarding the bus, I promptly fell asleep.

By 9:00am we had passed through the gates on the South Korean side of the DMZ and were instructed that no photos were permitted until further notice. We reached Ballinger Hall for a briefing before we were allowed to continue the tour to the Joint Security Area (JSA). During the briefing we had to sign away the right to blame anyone if the North Korean’s got us and were made aware that the North Korean’s wore “drab beige uniforms”, while the South Koreans were recognizable by their olive green uniforms. Obviously North Korea was not at Military Fashion week.

After the briefing we again boarded the buses and made for Panmunjeom in the JSA where North Korean and South Korean forces stand face to face every day. It was pretty intense to say the least. The South Korean soldiers stand with half of their body shielded by the building so that if the North Koreans shoot their heart will be covered from flying bullets.

The military demarcation line (MDL) runs directly through the middle of the conference room and tables where the North Koreans and the United Nations Command (primarily South Koreans and Americans) meet.

On the North Korean side of the conference room, you’re able to see the wear of the paint on the walls. A number of years ago, while a South Korean soldier was locking the ‘door to North Korea’ a North Korean solider attempted to pull the South Korean soldier in to the North. After escaping, it’s protocol for the locking of the door to be a two man operation. Now one soldier braces the other soldier while locking the door.

Some of the precautions and actions seemed ridiculous and our US military tour guide had a great sense of humor while telling us the history of the JSA. He told us how the South Koreans placed a huge South Korean flag close to the MDL for the North Koreans to see after they boycotted the Olympics in Seoul. The North Koreans responded by building an even bigger flag pole to shadow the South Koreans. It is now the (or one of the) largest flag pole(s) in the world and it takes an extremely windy day to make the 300lb North Korean flag fly.