See all Posts in the Wanderlust – A Travel Blog Series
Some of the most striking images of North Korea are from space at night. The entire country is dark, in stark contrast to the shimmering cities and coastlines of the surrounding countries.
Different countries choose different methods of organizing their societies and their government. There aren’t many places on earth where those decisions manifest themselves with such shocking contrast on either side of an artificial border — the Demilitarized Zone (or DMZ).
The United Nations established the DMZ after the Korean War armistice agreement in 1953. It runs roughly along the 38th parallel between North and South Korea. It is 2.5 miles wide and 160 miles long, and is heavily fortified with land mines, barbed wire and soldiers.
There is no other place like it on earth. For nearly 75 years, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) have glared at each other across the DMZ, with occasional provocations by North Korea calculated to keep tensions high.
This unique combination of long-running political rancor and military readiness makes this seem like an unlikely tourist destination. However, it is easy to visit and a fascinating place to watch as history continues to unfold.
You can experience the DMZ on a day trip from Seoul. A train will take you to the Joint Security Area (JSA) of the DMZ. The JSA is a small collection of buildings in the DMZ that serves as a meeting point between North and South Korea.
Be sure to get tickets in advance, as the United Nations Command (which operates the JSA) has strict rules for visitors. For example, photographs are allowed facing North Korea but not facing South Korea. Signs warn of landmines if you wander off the trail.
Three brightly painted blue buildings in the JSA contain conference rooms that are used during negotiations between the warring states. The middle building is open to the public from the South. If you walk to the northernmost end of that building, you will have set foot in North Korea.
In addition to the opportunity to check North Korea off your bucket list of countries to visit, there are many other fascinating things to see in the DMZ.
Soldiers stand guard on either side of the border with guns at the ready. They strike taekwondo poses in a persistent attempt to intimidate the other side.
A South Korean village near the JSA (called Daeseong-dong or “Freedom Village”) predates the DMZ and continues to exist within the zone despite the militarized environment. A similar North Korean village (Kijŏng-dong or “Peace Village”) is also within sight of the DMZ.
North Korea built a series of attractive, brightly painted, multi-story apartment buildings in Kijŏng-dong. Careful scrutiny of these buildings reveals that they are little more than concrete shells with no interior walls.
When the lights come on at night, the ground-level windows appear brightly lit, with each subsequent floor above showing dimmer and dimmer light. The charade of lighting the phony buildings at night and street sweepers tidying the empty neighborhood continues to this day.
In the 1980s, South Korea erected a 328-foot-high flagpole in Daeseong-dong to display its flag. North Korea responded by building a 525-foot-high flagpole in Kijŏng-dong. The North Korean flag weighs nearly 600 pounds and reportedly requires dozens of men to raise and lower it each day.
There is also a series of four tunnels under the DMZ that have been discovered since 1974 by South Korea. These tunnels were built by North Korea and appear to have been designed as military invasion routes. Three of the four tunnels are now open for guided tours. They range up to a mile into South Korea and as deep as 476 feet. There may be more that are undiscovered.
If you find yourself in South Korea, don’t miss the opportunity to see this unique and historic place for yourself. Your visit may not help brighten the night sky in North Korea, but it should shed some light on a fascinating bit of world history in a place where it continues to unfold.
(Dan Keyport is a CCLN board member and former Chaska business owner, now retired. His home base for international travel has been Chaska for more than 30 years.)
