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| south korea |
| dmz and third tunnel |
| I took an organized tour (you have to) of the DMZ and the Third Tunnel of Aggression in early September 2004. The bus picked me up at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul. There were only about five English speaking people on the tour bus, but we had an English speaking guide nonetheless, the rest of the tour group, another 40 people, was composed of tourists from Japan. |
| Only 44 km from Seoul, the Third Tunnel was discovered in October 1978. It's 1.7 km long, 2 m high and 2 m wide. It runs through bedrock at a depth of about 73 m below ground. It's apparently designed for a surprise attack on Seoul from North Korea, and can easily accomodate a full division per hour along with their weaponry. A total of four tunnels have been discovered so far, but there is believed to be up to ten more. South Korean and US soldiers regularly drill in the DMZ in hopes of finding more. I love the name they've given it: The Third Tunnel of AGGRESSION! It sounds a little ridiculous, but I guess it really was an act of aggression on the part of the North Koreans. Apparently, they tried to play it down, saying officially that it was a coal mine shaft. They've painted black coal on the walls to help prove their statement. Actually, coal is never found deep in bedrock. You can also see the drill marks for dynamite in the walls and all the holes are pointing towards South Korea. Photos are forbidden within the tunnel and it's well guarded. I saw several soldiers sporting AK-47's just hanging around waiting to shoot someone. The South Korean's have blocked the actual demarcation line of the DMZ in the tunnel with three concrete barricades. There's even a small door, so I guess if you wanted to defect to the North you could. Our guide also told us that the North has organized tours of their side of the tunnel, so there were probably North Koreans standing on the other side of the concrete barricade...thinking about defecting to the South. |
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| The Third Tunnel of Aggression |
| After arriving at a well guarded check point, our bus was searched by US Soldiers who checked everyones passports. We were all given a special DMZ pass and told not to leave the confines of the paved roads outside the tunnel. There are hundreds of thousands of land mines in the forested areas of the DMZ, just meters away from where we were standing. |
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| It seemed a little touristy to me. This "Tunnel of Agression," in fact it all seemed custom-tailored for tourists. Notice the "DMZ Drinking Fountain" and "DMZ Theater" and of course, you can purchase your DMZ key-chain, ball cap or T-Shirt at the "DMZ Souvenir Shop." |
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| One of the red, upside down triangle, Land Mine Warning signs. |
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| In front of the specially designed monorail that takes you all the way down to the tunnel. It was a tight fit and I had to duck my head to avoid giant pieces of rock jutting out from the walls The trip down took about 7 minutes. |
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| There's a museum inside a small building outiside the tunnel which also houses a huge five-screened theater that shows a movie on the tunnels and tells you all about how wildlife is thriving in the DMZ area, as it hasn't been touched by mankind in over 50 years. Here's a display of some SK soldiers checking rocks in the fence along the DMZ. They paint half of the rock white, if North Korea has tampered with the fence at all, these rocks move from their original position and all hell breaks loose. |
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| Dorasan Observation Post and Railway Station |
| Next stop was the Dorasan Military Observation Post. There was a South Korean soldier giving lectures inside and a giant white cross to the left of the building. Apparently, it's South Korean propaganda to the North, basically saying that there's religious freedom in the South. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and wet and I couldn't get a good view of North Korea at all. I could barely make out what is the tallest flagpole in the world on the North side. The South Korean's erected theirs first. It angered the North Koreans and so they built their own, several metres higher. Because tourist photos could reveal strategic outpost locations, you aren't allowed to take photos anywhere outside of a yellow "Photo Line" box painted on the ground. |
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| Dorasan Rail Station, is the last stop of a train line destined to go straight through North Korea, to China and Russia and on to Europe. Just this year, South Korea gave something like 150 million US dollars to North Korea to complete their portion of the railway line. Kim Jong-Il agreed to have it done as soon as possible. The South completed theirs within a few months, but the North may still take another couple of years. Either way, eventually you'll be able to travel by train from Seoul to Paris...no worries. President George W. Bush visited Dorasan Station in 2002 and signed what will be the last piece of the railway on the South Side. You could also get a special stamp in your passport. |
| A South Korean soldier checking tickets in front of the Boarding Gates. Notice the destination on the sign, Pyeongyang, North Korea! |
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| Imgingak Park and the Freedom Bridge |
| The last stop was Imgingak Park for lunch. It was a Korean Buffet style restaurant devoid of chopsticks. It was weird eating gimchi with a fork. The park is built around the "Freedom Bridge." South and North Korea exchanged POWs after signing of the cease-fire agreement in 1954. The end of the bridge, before entering the DMZ is covered in hundred of flags, T-Shirts and banners with statements in English and Korean..."Free North Korea!" or "We Support You!" |