Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Tour from Seoul
Overview
Your Experience
DMZ
At the end of the Korean War in 1953, an armistice was signed by North and South Korea which resulted in the Demilitarized Zone, a 4 km-wide, 240 km-long border that has since scarred the Korean peninsula, dividing the North and South into two independent countries. Lined on both sides with tank traps, landmines, barbed wires on high fences and various other obstacles, it is the heaviest guarded border in the world. Visiting this sinister place can have an unsettling effect, especially when it’s weighed heavy with symbolism.
Your guided tour will begin at Imjingak Park situated 7 km from the Demarcation Line. The Park features monumental relics and sorrows from the Korean War and is dedicated to the 10 million Koreans who were separated from their friends and families. Also here is the Freedom Bridge connecting North to South where several South Koreans marched into their mother country from the North after the signing of the armistice.
An interesting aspect of DMZ will be your tour of the Third Infiltration Tunnel which was dug by the North Koreans in their attempt to infiltrate South Korea and launch a surprise attack. Walking along the 265m stretch of this 73m-deep tunnel, you’d be surprised by how often your head bumps the low-lying roof. Afterwards, enter the DMZ Theatre and Exhibition Hall where you can watch videos explaining the various tunnels that run below the DMZ and general history of the war and division of Korea.
After learning about historic Korea, you will head to the Dorasan Observatory. This is the part of South Korea that is the closest to the North. From here, one can peer into binoculars to catch a rare glimpse of North Korea in all its reclusiveness. Nearby is the Dorasan Station which is a symbol of hope for the reunification of Korea. Built in 2002, this modern station is ready and waiting to run on the day the two Koreas finally settle their differences and come together as one. Pass by the Unification Village before your JSA tour kick starts at Camp Bonifas, the joint US-ROK Army Camp where you’ll be given a briefing.
JSA
The aura of unpredictability has earned JSA a reputation for being dangerous. A history of conflict and deteriorating relations between the North and South gives one the feeling that anything can happen over here. The Joint Security Area (JSA) is a small area within the former village of Panmunjom and is the only portion of the DMZ where steely North and South Korean Soldiers stand face-to-face. Here, you will tour through blue Conference rooms where negotiations take place, The Freedom House, Bridge of No Return, and the infamous area of the Axe Murder Incident which took place in 1976 where several were left wounded including the death of two American Soldiers who suffered a fate handed down by the axe!
Although, an unlikely place of visit, the DMZ sees a lot of curious travellers who come to experience a silent awakening.