That’s right; today we took a tour of the Demilitarized zone also known as the DMZ. The DMZ is the two-kilometer area on both sides of the border between North and South Korea that has no military presence.

After the capitulation of Japan in World War II, the Soviet Union and United States occupied the north and south parts of Korea along the 38th parallel. The two sides formed a different government with the north being communist and the south being democratic. This lasted from 1945 till 1950 when the North Koreans started an invasion into the South causing panic and chaos. The North Koreans almost won the war but with help from the United States and United Nations the North Koreans were pushed back. An armistice was signed in 1953 to cease fighting but the war is still ongoing today since no treaty has yet to be signed.

At the DMZ we had the opportunity to explore one of the infiltration tunnels used by the North Koreans to enter South Korea in an attempt to cause chaos and confusion. In fact, the South Koreans only found the tunnels by chance from miners working in the area, so no attacks occurred due to this discovery. Since the end of the war four tunnels have been discovered and they all point in the direction of Seoul. The tunnel we entered was several stories underground and was hundreds of meters long. As a result, we were able to walk up to 170 meters away from the North Korean border!

We also toured the observatory post that tourists can use to see across the border into North Korea. From our vantage point we were able to see a couple North Korean villages and villagers along with their mountains and flag. Not much is known about the life of the North Koreans due to their seclusion, so this chance to take a peek at the state was unique.

Overall, the trip to the DMZ was a very humbling experience. It was sad to see such a horrible war occur between the two sides of Korea and how much of Korea was destroyed. All that remains is the DMZ to remind Koreans of the past and the hope for the future. In the future the hope is to reunify Korea and live in harmony forever as one.