Our fifth day in Korea was one of the most unique and interesting so far, and it was our last full day in Seoul for now. It consisted of two main activities: visiting the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and a baseball game. We left for the DMZ in the morning, which was about an hour drive away by private coach. We first had some free time to explore a tourist area that included some restaurants, information about the DMZ, and nice green space. Chris and I walked around a park area with a pond, which was very pretty. We also talked to a random Korean guy who explained the meaning of a monument that is dedicated to the families separated by the division of Korea into North and South. It was interesting to have a conversation like this with a random local. I then tried a bulgogi corn dog before the main events started.
We boarded a bus to enter the actual DMZ area. Upon entering, a soldier came on board to check our passports, as it’s a highly secure area. It’s interesting, because in all my travels I can’t remember ever needing a passport other than in an actual airport. There were two main activities in the DMZ. First, went down the so-called third tunnel of aggression. It was a tunnel that North Korea dug to try to invade South Korea. It was quite a trek down, and once we reached the bottom I had to crouch to go further into the tunnel. The one time I’m not glad to be tall! The hike back up was quite exhausting. We then went to an observation platform where we actually got to see North Korea. This was by far the coolest part to me. It was kind of eerie to look down into what is such a secretive country, just right there; I even saw the North Korean flag waving in the distance through some binoculars. I unfortunately can’t share any pictures, since it’s a secure area and photography was not allowed, but it was really interesting.
Our second main activity for the day was a Korean baseball game. It was the KBO league, which is Korea’s highest level of professional baseball. There’s only ten teams total, compared to the MLB’s 30. We watched KT Wiz play the Kiwoom Heroes. The energy is completely different from a Pirates game; there’s a lot of singing and dancing along to the cheerleaders. An older guy in front of us was hitting some crazy moves. It’s a lot of fun, but it does make it a little difficult to pay attention to the actual game. We ate some delicious fried chicken while we watched. There was an American player on the team, which was cool to see, and he even waved at us at one point. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience, even as someone who doesn’t care much about baseball or sports in general. I’d go again. Unfortunately, we left a little early, so we didn’t quite catch the end, but it was a blowout with KT Wiz winning 8-0. We got back to the hotel around 10 PM, our longest day yet by far. It was straight off to bed for me. Tomorrow we would leave Seoul to visit other parts of Korea.
