Korean Peninsula Ecological Peace Tourism Information Center

Today, the Plus3 South Korea group woke up very early for our visit to the DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone. This zone, occupying the area between the border of North and South Korea, was established shortly after the “ceasefire” of the Korea War, occurring in the early 1950s. Technically, Korea is still at war, however, a somewhat peaceful understanding has been reached by both sides. Even today, both forces tease each other with missile tests in the neighboring waters.

Before arriving to the DMZ, the group stopped by a wait station, a few kilometers away, to recharge and take a peek at some of the landmarks at that area. The title image, as well as the image above, were two landmarks that could be found there. There was also a train, with hundreds of bullet holes, claimed to be the last to leave from the North. A friend of mine, Alex K., bought North Korean currency, which had various designs and images, making it a great purchase. Unfortunately, their stock was low, and the denominations I wanted to purchase were no longer available.

Into the DMZ

After wrapping up our visit at the Korean Peninsula Ecological Peace Tourism Information Center, we drove into the DMZ and trekked into the unknown! At the border of the DMZ, armed Republic of Korea (ROK) soldiers boarded the bus and checked our American passports to ensure that we matched the individuals scheduled on their records. After that was settled, we proceeded to the third tunnel. To summarize the Tunnels, North Korea began building tunnels towards Seoul for an invasion of the South, however, these were eventually discovered and thwarted by the South. In total, four tunnels, each beginning at different spots, were identified by ROK forces. It is anticipated that more of these tunnels exists, extending various kilometers in length.

As a group, we entered the third tunnel and were surprised by how compact and damp the conditions were. Afterwards, we proceeded to an observation building in the DMZ, where we had a clear view of the North Korean territory.

“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”

– Albert Einstein