DMZ

I have survived my trip into North Korea unscathed. Despite the fears of some of the others (about a dozen, or maybe more of us ended up on the USO tour together) we felt very safe the entire time, despite the recent tensions with the North. Our military guide at Camp Bonifas - motto "In Front of Them All" - repeatedly said that everything was business as usual along the border. Maybe that's all he is allowed to say though. We were well protected though: there are many Republic of Korea guards along the border. Apparently to fit the requirements of the post they have to be a black belt in a martial art, and have to be of above average height, for maximum intimidation. It certainly works, as this guy in 'battle ready' position shows:

Sunglasses mandatory. This room is the Military Armistice Commission building, where the 1953 Armistice was signed by The United Nations, China and North Korea, thereby effectively ending the war. However, South Korea refused to sign (they did not want the country to be officially divided) hence they we are still technically at war.

The microphones and flags down the centre of the table mark the official border between the two countries. Steven on the left is in South Korea, the ROK guard is in the North. I'm straddling.

The building in the background here is North Korea's. Apparently the third floor was added in response to the building of The South's building opposite it (on the steps of which we're standing here). The South's was taller, so the North added a floor in order that theirs would be the tallest. If we zoom in on the steps of their building... Yes! They're watching us! How exciting! Unfortunately cameras are forbidden in many area, though it's hard to fathom why we were allowed to taken pictures here right in front of the North Korean guards, but none from the bus as we drove through fields of rice. We weren't able to take any from the Third Infiltration Tunnel either. The Tunnel is one of four so far discovered (up to ten are suspected) linking the North to the South. The third tunnel, discovered on October 17, 1978, would be capable of moving an entire division of their army to Seoul in an hour.

This is The Bridge of No Return and is the only bridge connecting the two states. It was used for prisoner exchanges at the end of the Korean War in 1953. The name originates from the fact that prisoners were given the choice to remain in the country of their captivity or cross over to the other country. But if they chose to cross the bridge, they would never be allowed to return.

On the tour bus home, with Vanessa. The 'war paint' was daubed on us all by Heidi in the tunnel. The Northerners painted the walls with patches of black so they could pretend it was a coal mine, but since it is made of granite anyway, this fooled nobody for long...

If anyone's interested in the full set of photos (still unlabelled, sorry), including the site of the 1976 Axe murder, and some very restricted views from the Dora observatory looking into North Korea, look here.