Today we went to the DMZ or the Demilitarization Zone near the border of North and South Korea. Today we had to leave at 6:15 in the morning. I woke up around 5:30 to get ready and get down stairs. We took a bus to a place along the citizen’ controlled lined further from the DMZ. The DMZ is a strip of land along the 38th parallel about 2 kilometers north and south of the demarcation line. No military presence is allowed inside the DMZ, but outside the line is heavily guarded by the military. When we got there we had to buy tickets first and give them our passports to verify we are not a threat. While our guide for the trip was getting the tickets, I got a drink and some breakfast. After they got the tickets, we then toured some of the memorials of South Korean history. These included things such as a train that was blown up during the Korean war, a statute to the comfort girls taken as PoW by Japan, and a bell that they ring on certain holidays.

We then got back on the bus along with some other people and went into the DMZ. We first visited one of the tunnels North Korea dug underneath the DMZ to try and invade Seoul after the war. They showed us a short film about the Korean war and the DMZ. Then we went down into the 3rd infiltration tunnel. I was happy to be short for this part of the experience since I didn’t have to hunch over when we got into the tunnel. The walk back up from the tunnel was rough though. We took a couple pictures with the DMZ sign and other statues.

After this we went on top of a mountain to look over the DMZ. I could see both the North Korean and South Korean flags and a village from my vantage point. It started to rain at this point and get really windy. I then went inside and down to the cafe. I got a mango drink and a blueberry pie. On the way back to the bus I slipped and fell because the road was still wet from rain. We then stopped at the one of the villages inside of the DMZ. I got two bracelets and some chocolate. Dr. Yun got us all some soybean ice cream to try. After this we got back on the bus to our beginning spot along the CCL for lunch. I shared a dumpling hotpot with two of my group members from one of the restaurants. We finally got back on the bus and went back to the hotel. We were going to go to Hanok Village, but it was raining and everyone was tired from having to wake up early and all the walking we did.