DMZ and JSA

Our first full day in South Korea was spent traveling to the DMZ. Bori scheduled us on the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel Tour and Panmunjeom Tour, and we had to wake up at 6AM to be picked up by our tour bus at a nearby hotel. Unfortunately, it was raining this morning, so we got quite wet walking over to the other hotel. Our tour bus this morning was full. Every seat on the bus was filled. The highlight of the morning tour was the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel. Only 44 km (27 miles) from Seoul, the tunnel was discovered in October 1978 based on information provided by a North Korean defector. It is apparently designed for a surprise attack on Seoul from North Korea, and can easily accommodate 30,000 men per hour along with light weaponry. Upon discovery of the third tunnel, the United Nations Command accused North Korea of threatening the 1953 armistice agreement signed at the end of the Korean War. Its description as a "tunnel of aggression" was given by the South, who considered it an act of aggression on the part of the North. A total of four tunnels have been discovered so far, but there are believed to be up to twenty tunnels.

Initially, North Korea denied building the tunnel. However, observed drill marks for dynamite in the walls point towards South Korea and the tunnel is inclined so that water drains back towards the northern side of the DMZ (and thus out of the way of continued excavation). North Korea then officially declared it part of a coal mine, and black "coal" was painted on the walls by retreating soldiers to help confirm this statement
In the afternoon, we toured the Joint Security Area ("JSA"). The JSA is where . They gave us very strict requirements before we were allowed into the area. The requirements included:
- No speaking with or making any gestures toward personnel from North Korea;
- Ripped jeans, sleeveless shirts, mini skirts, short pants, military clothing, and sandals are not permitted;
- No shaggy or unkept hair.
- No camera lenses greater than 90mm
- Pictures are only allowed when granted permission by the tour guide or military personnel
- No children under 11 years of age.
The JSA is the only portion of the DMZ where South and North Korean forces stand face-to-face. The area is used by the two Korea for diplomatic engagements. Prior to entering the area, we were escorted by South Korean military personnel, and we attended a briefing where we signed a document that states, "The visit to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom will entail entry into a hostile area and there is a possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action." After our briefing, we were escorted to an area outside the conference rooms, and we observed the hostile environment with the North and South Korean soldiers facing off from opposite sides of the JSA. After lining up in a straight line outside the conference rooms, we were granted access, and we were able to walk to the North Korean side of the JSA.

After our visit to the JSA, we went to the Dorasan train station which is the last train station before entering North Korea. It's a modern train station, and the train station was built in preparation for the unification of the two Koreas. People do not expect the unification to happen any time soon, but if it does ever happen, South Koreans will have access to the rest of Asia via train. Until that happens, South Koreans will have to use airplanes and boats to travel to China, Russia, and other neighboring countries.

Our DMZ tour dropped us off at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul. From there, we took the subway to meet Bori at her office. Our restaurant for dinner was nearby Bori's work, so we had a short walk to get there. As we walked to the restaurant, we walked by so many restaurants and we noticed that a lot of them are fried chicken restaurants. We didn't have a chance to try fried chicken, but I'm sure it's pretty good. Bori took us to a Korean bbq place, and it was very tasted so good. The best part was the grilled pork belly. It was fatty goodness. : )