DMZ Tour South and North Korea
DMZ Tour South and North Korea
Sadly when most people hear of certain places around the world such as Syria, The Falkland Island (Malvinas) and Vietnam, they think of war. We wrote in a previous blog Dark Tourism about the growing tourist fascination with places linked with tragedy and Korea falls into the same category. Barely a day goes by these days without North Korea getting a mention and news images of Kim Jong-un’s disciplined army and military hardware. This has led to a fascination by many to visit North Korea, even us. Unfortunately costs and time have prohibited a trip North on this occasion so we decided to take a day tour of the next best thing, the DMZ in South Korea. It is good to get two sides of the story so it was the South on this occasion. So read on to see how our cold but interesting day transpired. DMZ Tour South and North Korea.
DMZ Tour South and North Korea, Still at war but obsessed with Conor McGregor!
We were picked up on a cold Sunday morning from our guesthouse at 11am for our trip to the DMZ which we hastily arranged via e-mail with DMZ tours the night before. The DMZ is quite a popular tourist attraction here and a chance for us to get as close to North Korea as we can for now. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a buffer zone, which was established on July 27, 1953 when the Armistice Agreement was signed during the Korean War. It is basically a no mans land between present day North and South Korea dividing the once united nation. Our driver picked up three other passengers on the way there from Russia and Finland and it was clear they had a late night and a few one too many as we had to stop so one of the guys could get sick at the side of the road. We felt sorry for him and know how it feels so it would be a long afternoon ahead for him.
After about one hour we reached our first stop, Imjingak Park. First thing we noticed was the cold, it was freezing. A bad day for Paula to wear thin leather pants but travelling light means sometimes you are not prepared for harsh weather. It was so cold it started to snow so after we were introduced to our tour guide, He Won (Hope I spelled it right), we bought some gloves. We were taken over the Freedom bridge, The Freedom bridge crosses the Imjin river. It is a former railroad bridge which was used by repatriated POWs/soldiers returning from the north. At the final point of access from South Korea a wall of flags, prayers and wishes of unity are left by the many whose families remain in the North, forever separated, so a very special place for many here. While explaining its history, our guide, He Won, enthusiastically asked me all about Conor McGregor, the UFC fighter from home. He was obsessed with him and his dream is to visit Ireland and McGregor, it is funny travelling the world how everybody comments about McGregor as soon as they know I am Irish, It looks like he is more famous worldwide now than Guinness or U2! After our guides introduction and instructions and a few quick pictures we made a hasty retreat for the warmth of our larger tour bus which would take us to our next stop which was Dorasan Station.
Before we could reach the station however we had to stop at an army checkpoint. Here it was explained to us that a South Korean soldier would come onboard and check our identifications. We were warned not to argue with him if there was a problem. At the front of the bus were local day trippers and of course they had to argue when somebody had no ID. In the end the bus had to turn around and return to Imjingak and return a few minutes later to try again. This time we passed to enter Dorasan Station. There was no problems in the end despite the fact I had no passport as it was with the Chinese Visa agent, luckily my Irish driving licence was sufficIent. Paula possessing two passports came in handy as she could use her Canadian as proof of ID.
Dorasan Station is a railway station situated on the Gyeongui Line, which once connected North and South Korea and has now been restored. The station was opened as a tourist attraction on April 4, 2002 right before the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. The Gyeongui railroad connects Seoul to Paju in Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province). It is one of many symbols of Korea’s separation. Opened in 1906, trains along the Gyeongui Line travelled about 500 kilometers from Seoul to Sinuiju, on the banks of the Amrok River (Yalu River), via Gaeseong (Kaeseong) and Pyongyang, now in North Korea. Linked with the Gyeongbu Line that connected Seoul to Busan, trains along the Gyeongui Line could diagonally cross the whole peninsula from southeast to northwest. Before the nation’s division, the train was also connected to the Trans-Siberian Railway, allowing people to get to Europe. After national division, however, the train stopped operating in 1951. The station looks like any other modern railway terminal but was eerily empty on our visit with a souvenir shop on site. The station and DMZ train are a symbol of the hope that someday the nation will be reunited in peace.
After a short stay at the station we were moved back onto the bus and swiftly on to the Dora Observatory. On the way it was explained to us how dangerous the area is with landmines peppered throughout the forest on both sides of the DMZ. Situated in Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do and at the northernmost point of the Military Demarcation Line, Dora Observatory replaced the previous Songaksan Observation Post. From the observatory, visitors can overlook North Korea and various locations including Gaeseong, Songaksan, Kim Il-Sung Statue, and Cooperation Farm (Geumamgol). Unfortunately on this occasion as the snow fell down, visibility was poor so very little other than trees and fields were visible. After looking through one of the many telescopes we were taken into a room to watch a video about the area. Here soldiers pointed out the various points on the DMZ and its proximity to North Korea. The video was in Korean but even still it was clearly one-sided and a show of South Korean military power against their “aggressive” Northern enemies.
After about 20 minutes it was on to the 3rd infiltration tunnel. The 3rd Tunnel was discovered in 1978 by Korean forces. It spans over 1635m in length, 2m in width, and 2m in height and is located 52km from Seoul. It is estimated that approximately 30,000 soldiers could move through the tunnel per hour. Once the tunnel was found, North Koreans insisted it was intentionally made by the Southern army to invade North Korea, but, their insistence was proven “untrue” as the explosions used to make the tunnel face southward. Before entering the tunnel you are asked a brief health questionnaire by our guide.
Those suffering from asthma, claustrophobia or back pain should seriously consider whether to enter the tunnel. After entering we could see why, it wasn’t too claustrophobic but the constant stooping was a real stress on the back and knees but the toughest part was the long steep climb back to the entrance. We powered our way through passing many struggling day trippers but by the end you knew you had just taken part in a serious workout. A tunnel is a tunnel, we reached the end where we were informed that we were only a few metres from North Korea where the tunnel is sealed. There was of course another souvenir shop on site but nothing from the North Korean side which we were more interested in purchasing.
Before we went into the tunnels we watched a video with English audio guide showing that many tunnels were discovered by South Korea over the decades with more likely to be found. Again it was all one-sided showing how the North plan an enemy attack and full-scale assault some day on Seoul through the use of these tunnels. Maybe it is true but it makes a nice tourist attraction and money spinner nonetheless!
As the afternoon went on we were taken to our final stop in the area another gift shop. Here you could purchase items from North Korea, mainly alcohol and local South Korean products including popular soy bean chocolates which many aboard our bus purchased. At this point we were becoming hungry but our guide told us we would be joining our original driver and making one more stop. This stop had much to do with the DMZ and the story of the two nations, …it was an Amethyst Factory!! Yes excuse us for being cynical but a boring Amethyst Factory that many have no interest in going to is not the best way to end a tour. If you have been to Thailand you will be familiar with tours finishing at tailors or jewellers where guides earn their commission.
South Korea would prove the same, they are proud of their Amethyst stones and rightly so, they are beautiful but if we wanted them we would go ourselves. After a long drive of about an hour we reached the factory with the other tourists. A brief introduction and history of the stone and Korea was given before we were taken into a large showroom showcasing the many purple stones. Everything from rings, earrings to necklaces with prices ranging from about US$40 upwards. We took a look as the assistants tried to convince us to buy but we just wanted to go like many others. You can sense the unease among everyone when visiting these places. Everybody knows you are only taken there to boost the tours commission with many feeling guilty or pressured into buying.
We were not exactly pressured to buy but you would rather not be there. In the end one tourist purchased a gift so the guide and drivers earned some cash! Our driver dropped us off at a subway station stop for us to make our own way back in the freezing conditions. We said goodbye to our fellow visitors who by now were fully feeling the effects of their heavy night drinking and were on our way. We would recommend the tour with our guide funny and friendly but it could be a lot better. There is a full day tour which takes you closer to North Korea and face to face with their soldiers but at a higher cost. The pursuit of money again takes priority on these tours which is a pity. The divide of Korea is a great shame similar to Cyprus and our own country of Ireland. Maybe one day they will re-unite but as long as they don’t citizens will suffer but for others money will be made, for lovers of history and modern-day conflict DMZ Tour South and North Korea is a unique destination.
DMZ Tour South and North Korea
