South Korea Day 7 - DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)

We started our day with our arranged pickup at 8am for our half day DMZ tour.The package is 46,000 won per pax.

If you do not know, Korea is the only divided country in the world. PS: You will need your passport as the soldiers will do a check before entering the area.

First, we stopped by Imjingak park which is located on the banks of the Imjin River in the city of Paju, South Korea. There is where the bridge of freedom is. It is a former railroad bridge which was used by prisoners of wars returning from the north.








A fence of prayer ribbons filled with hand-written for hopes of peace and unification line. This place is also used to pay respects to ancestors of those whose their ancestral homes are in the North.

The Korean War lasted from 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953. South Korea and North Korea established a border that cut the Korean peninsula roughly in half. 

The border stretched about for 2km on both sides of the border and it is known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which is the world's heaviest militarized border.

DMZ and its surroundings contain many interesting historical sights and pristine untouched natural surroundings. As the area around DMZ have been restricted, the place have also become a wildlife preserve.

We went to the the third tunnel first followed by a DMZ theater video/exhibition tour.  The third tunnel was discovered on 17 October 1978. Unlike the previous two, the third tunnel was discovered following a tip from a North Korean defector.

This tunnel is about 1,600 m long and about 350 m below ground. We, visitors have to wear a safety helmet before entering the tunnel using a sloped access shaft. No personal items were allowed to be brought it so we had to locked our items in a lockers provided.





It was a very tiring walk down and up the steep slope of the tunnel. Upon reaching the lowest ground, one has to walk through the supported scaffolding tunnel which is super long.

Along the way, you can see dynamites holes on the wall (sprayed in yellow) and at the end of the tunnel, it is a "sealed door" which separates the two countries.





Photography are only allowed at the yellow line where we stood. No photos were allowed to be taken at the viewing area towards North Korea.







Next, we went to Dorasan station which is a railway station situated on the Gyeongui Line. It once connected North and South Korea.

It is the northernmost station of the South Korea which is 700m distant from the southern boundary line of DMZ.







As I blogged about DMZ, I could not find words to describe the experience of my visit there. The border which separate wealth and poverty between two countries. Join the tour to experience the journey yourself if you are in South Korea.