This morning was a little rough. We had to be up and in the lobby at 6:15 for the DMZ, which is the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. We first made a stop to get our passports checked and get our tickets, and we checked out some historical areas and landmarks. We got to see the remains of a derailed train from the Korean War that separated the two countries and some other landmarks with information on the complicated history that the north and south share.

The main part of our tour was through what is known as the “Third Tunnel of Aggression”. After the Korean War, North Korea continued to try and invade the South and dug tunnels underground to connect them to main points in South Korea. One of these main tunnels was the third tunnel of aggression that we got to go down, as it is now neutral area open to tourists. It was very small down there as the North wanted to make the tunnels fast and easily accessible, and the soldiers were pretty short so for taller tourists they have to crouch while walking through the tunnel.

After the whole DMZ tour and walkthrough, we ended up visiting the unification village which is a place that is just outside of the DMZ and is also a neutral zone. It is actually on the north side of the demarcation line and is in what is known as the Joint Security Area. In order to ensure the safety of the residents there, as it is still a zone directly in between both countries, there is a curfew for everyone to be in their houses by.

Today was a pretty short day but very enlightening and informative. The tragedy of the Korean War is something that still has effects today and there are still tensions between the North and South. We’re lucky to be in a time of peace where we’re allowed to visit the border, and the experience was something I won’t ever forget for sure. While this was a more serious trip I am excited for the rest of our adventures while we are still in Korea, and I hope to make every moment here count!