Nate and I got to tour the DMZ along with all of his office mates. It was fascinating, eerie, and hopeful all at the same time. Aliza spent all day with a babysitter as no kids under 11 are allowed on the tour. It was the longest her and I have ever been apart - over 12 hours. I'm not sure she even noticed we were gone!
If you want to know more of the history, check out:
And when you have time, check out the wikipedia links about each site.
Very interesting history.
IMJINGAK PARK: Built to console people from both the north and south who were unable to return to their hometown, and friends and families.
waiting for the day of reunification
North Korean money
The Bridge of Freedom
THE 3RD TUNNEL: After the war, the North Koreans built several tunnels in an attempt to infiltrate the South. We went down into the 3rd tunnel, bound for Seoul. We were not allowed to take pictures in the actual tunnel, this is the entrance to the walkway.
the walkway
tunnel diagram
us "cutifying" (sp?)
Venturing 'off the beaten path' would be dangerous; land mines could still be anywhere.
THE DORA OBSERVATORY
DORASAN TRAIN STATION
Yep, we squished a 500 Won coin.
JOINT SECURITY AREA (PANMUNJOM): Both the north and south 'own' parts of this area. Truce talks have taken place here since the end of the war. The big gray building behind the blue ones is North Korean. You can see the guard watching our tour through binoculars.
The ROK soldiers stand half behind the building to be a smaller target.
Where truce talks have taken place. The line down the middle of the table divides the room into north and south. Technically, once we stepped to the right of that line, we were in North Korea.
The sight of the Axe Murder Incident on August 18, 1976. We are standing at one guard station looking down on another. Just behind the little blue building is the actual border, the military demarcation line and the bridge of no return where POWs crossed after the war never to cross again. A big tree was blocking the view from here to there so a team of US and ROK soldiers set out to trim the tree. All hell broke loose and North Korean guards began attacking with axes. Capt Bonifas (whom the Camp was named after 10 years later) and Lt Barrett were brutally murdered. The UN's response was Operation Paul Bunyan, a definite 'hoo-rah' moment for the U.S. military. Read about it at the link below. Supposedly, the Axe Murder Incident is the only event to date that Kim Jong-il expressed remorse that had happened.
Original location of the Axe Murder Incident tree (these next three pictures were taken from our tour bus, it didn't stop and we didn't get out-a little too close for comfort).
Demarcation sign and the Bridge of No Return
Both north and south have a village inside the DMZ. The North Korean village one, dubbed "propaganda village" for what is still broadcasted everyday from loud speakers. The two villages are only one mile apart.
Peace Village in North Korea:
Daeseong-Dong, South Korea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daeseong-dong
