YISS hosted their final one-day field trip to the Demilitarized Zone, aka the DMZ, on July 27.
As usual, the bus ride to DMZ was quite long, taking about an hour from Seoul. The bus driver hilariously played BIGBANG's "Bang Bang Bang" once we started to approach the When we got to the area, Korean soldiers came onto the tour bus to check our passports before continuing the drive. We first went to an observatory deck where we could see the "Freedom Gate" and an abandoned train part. On the rusted train, you can see so many bullet holes; on the surrounding gates, colorful ribbons are tied for the reunion of the Korean peninsula.
Then, we headed to the 3rd infiltration tunnel. From a North Korean defector named Kim Bu-seong, several underground infiltration tunnels to attack Seoul were revealed. This tunnel was very tiny: guests are given safety helmets to protect their heads. Going into the tunnel, I could definitely tell the temperature difference from the tunnel and the hot summery outdoors. Going deeper into the tunnel, we had to crouch down to continue with water occasionally dripping from the ceiling. At the end of the tunnel, you can see three barricades through a small eye slot in the first one.
Continuing the tour, we went to the DMZ museum, seeing all these past weapons and historical items. They also displayed a tiny miniature maps of the infiltration tunnels for example. At this place before heading into the museum, we were shown a short video describing the history of the DMZ; we were shocked at the contrast within the video where they were grimly talking about the war and suddenly showing beautiful shots of nature. At the end of the tour, we took photos in the front of the DMZ sign outside.
We went to another observatory deck closer to the border. To be honest, I could not really see where the border was, being covered in trees and green. We could see the two Korean flagpoles from North and South. Funny story: North Korea competed with the height of the flagpole, rebuilding theirs when South Korea created one taller than theirs. If you use the binoculars provided for a fee, you could have seen some North Korean soldiers manning the area as well.
Afterward, we headed to the closed train station, Dorasan Station, guiding people to and from Seoul and Pyeongyang. The station was completely empty, giving a eerie vibe due to the contrast from the hustling stations in Seoul. At the station, there was two commemorative stamps we used to remember this trip. Then we had beef soup and rice for lunch as well as toured around the shops at the location.
To end the day, we finally went to the War Memorial of Korea and saw more exhibitions describing the war. One attraction I enjoyed was the 4D experience as a fighter jet pilot, fully equipped with sprays and moving chairs. Another area I liked was the hallway of lights on the ceiling, representing stars in the night sky. At the end of the hallway, there was a fountain of water with the great sound of running water.
K.E.V.
This was definitely a unique experience, being able to see the border between North and South Korea. We couldn't visit the Joint Security Area which is the room where tourists can cross the border and be in both countries at the same time; we couldn't go because Korean citizens are not allowed, so if you wish to go there, you would have to book a different tour. We saw so many places in DMZ and learned a lot about Korean history, so if you love history, be sure to go on this field trip!