DMZ
wulijohyunjae | July 2, 2010 | 7:00 amThis very interesting and informative article was contributed by a Jo Hyun-Jae fan L who was a member of our contingent which went to Seoul for his discharge. She was among the few tourists who had the opportunity to visit the DMZ. She spent more than half a day there with her Korean friends and took some good pictures that she’s sharing here with us (the big photos.)
The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ – Korean 한반도 비무장지대) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea which are still technically at war with each other. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and the east end lying north of it. It is 250 kilometres (160 miles) long , approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) wide and is the most heavily militarized border in the world. The Military Demarcation Line (MDL), which was set during the Armistice Agreement in 1953, runs down the middle of the DMZ.
In her own words:
Still another two days to JHJ’s discharge, my Korean friends wanted to take me somewhere special, only an hour’s ride by car from Seoul. Most people only know about the DMZ from history books. I was privileged to be able to visit and take some photos.
Wreckage of a train almost totally destroyed in the war
DMZ Memorial Park at the Military Demarcation Line (MDL)
North Korea dug tunnels under the MDL to try to attack South Korea – this is the Memorial of the 3rd tunnel.
Freedom Bridge at DMZ (separating N. and S. Korea) - North Korea is at the other end
Dorasan Station — built in preparation for the eventual reunification of N. and S.Korea.
Notice board in Dorasan Station says: To Pyeongyang
(Credit: Small photos from the internet; big photos are L’s. Thanks!)
Thank you, wuliJHJ, for an unusual and interesting article!
SKoreans are very optimistic, they already have a train station that would serve trains going in and out of NK once reunification efforts bear fruit.
But the actual DMZ doesn’t look as gloomy as it was depicted in JHJ’s movie GP506.
prissymom, the small photos show the actual DMZ; the big photos depict what tourists see. One of the best Korean movies I’ve seen re DMZ is Lee Byung-Hun’s “JSA” (Joint Security Area) in which the DMZ comes across as bleak and tense, but, strangely enough, also human (soldiers manning posts on both sides.)