“DMZ”
DMZ is a buffer zone between two Koreas, bisecting the Korean Peninsula.
About DMZ
DMZ is an area occupying two kilometers out from the border of both Koreas, stretching a total of 64 million Pyeong(or around 50,156 ac).
Along this DMZ bisecting the two Koreas stand almost 2 million armed soldiers from both sides. In DMZ, you can see historical sites breaking the heart of so many Koreans.
It’s a quiet and calm place well preserving ecology because no one has been allowed to enter it for the past 4 decades. It’s also well-known for being home to precious wildlife and wild nature. Seen from the distance, DMZ looks scary, but once you get to know it more, you actually find it one of the safest security ecology tourist attractions.
Historical Background
The surrender of Japan in 1945 at the end of Pacific War saw the division of Korea by the 38th parallel line when the US and the Soviet Union moved into Korean Peninsula. The division line was intended to be a temporary political border, but the failure to hold free election throughout the peninsula in 1948 deepened the division between the two sides.The North Korean tanks crossed the 38th line at the dawn of June 25, 1950.
The war lasted for three years and one month to cost more than two million people’s lives. The ceasefire agreement was signed at Panmunjom on July 27,1953. The armistice, not a peace treaty, is still in effect today.
Major Tour Spots
In essence, any DMZ tour is to experience the reality of division and to find the hope of future. The highlight of the tour is to explore a tunnel dug by North Korea. The tunnel was discovered by South Army as the third one among four tunnels, hence the name “The Third Tunnel”. It is a surreal experience to find a 1,635 meter tunnel at the depth of 73 meters underground. The infiltration tunnel was made by dangerous manual excavation work with dynamites, shovels and pick axes. The tunnel is located only four kilometers away from JSA, where the representatives of North Korea repeat their version of peace and reunification.
The other tourism spots include an observatory and a train station. The observatory sits on the top of a hill, from which you can observe the north area including the “Gaesung Industrial Complex”, the “Propaganda Village”, a huge statue of North Leader Kim Il-sung, etc. The train station is the northern most one of South Korea and it is physically connected to the North railway system, which again is linked to the Trans Eurasian Railway Network. Regardless of the frustrating diplomacy surrounding the Korean Peninsula, here you can find a hope to go to Europe by TRS (Trans-Siberian Railway).