DMZ/JSA
Korean Demilitarized Zone is the 4 km wide strip between North Korea and South Korea.
JSA, Joint Security Area, is inside the DMZ in Panmunjeom. It's the only connection between the two countries. Often called one of the most dangerous borders in the world.
.. and what a refreshing place to enjoy a can of Coca Cola.
The rules say;
- Do not speak with, make any gesture toward or in any way, approach or respond to personnel from the other side.
- Casual clothes such as ripped jeans, sleeveless shirts, mini skirt, short pants, military cloth, and sandal(slippers) are not permitted in the tour area.
- Shaggy or unkempt hair is not allowed either.
- The cameras with over 90mm zooming lens are not allowed.
.. if you visit the border from the South Korean side.
A visualization of the place. Notice the huge North Korean flag. The blue buildings are there on the upper left corner where the border goes.
This charming military man was our escort during the DMZ/JSA visit. This was also one of the very few moments when both of our guides were alert and our female guide was super sharp. One of the few moments we had permission to photograph military.
Place where the Korean Armistice agreement was signed. There is no peace treaty between the two countries. This room was actually the only place during the trip when we heard the north koreans directly mock the americans -- for using the UN flag.
Part of the DMZ. While a heavy mine field people also do agriculture there.
And this is it, one of the best known sights from North Korea. Solders guarding the room where North and South Korea have talks -- if they have to -- exactly on the border.
A wider view, that's the South Korean building behind the blue negotiation rooms. In fact perhaps North Korean is more known from pictures from that side?
Stiff! We were supposed to visit the room but both North and South have keys to it and both have the right to close it for "their own purposes" at any moment. Unfortunately this happened and our visit didn't happen. Thanks South! A real bummer but not exactly the place where you want to demand your money back and yell for tourism rights.
Anyway, start running here and you will be shot.
And a closer look at the South Korean surveillance. Barack Obama was on that balcony just a few months earlier.
Whoops, who has left a can of Coke here? Is it for target practising? No shooting from South Korea happened.
And one of the North Korean solders was happy to pose with a tourist from Finland, a can of Coca Cola and North Korea in the background.
In fact with the swedes we planned to drink beer but the guide said that drinking alcohol might be considered offensive. So Coca Cola it was then.. and yes, I did finish the can there.
Funny thing happened with the dutch pilot. He was using his iPad to take photographs (secretly of the military people, too) and what happened was that he left the iPad on the balcony at the border. We were already on the bus coming back from the JSA/DMZ when it was noticed.
Some "hot moments" and the iPad was returned with the next tourist group to our lunch restaurants later.
This fellow joined us for the next target, an outpost about an hour away where we had a nice view of the DMZ towards South Korea and binoculars to look at the "wall" South Korea has been building. There was something for sure but who knows what..
Anyway a very nice spot!
Some images from the countryside en route to the other border location:
This feels like a classic painting. Love the guy sleeping.
There were several military stops en route and just after Kaesong our bus was stopped by the military. A military man came in, spoke with the guides, who went to one dutch lady to take her camera. Later they returned with the camera.
At an earlier military stop they "had seen" that the military was being photographed and they had called the next stop to check us and the photographs that had been taken.
One of the "more interesting" moments for sure. And I can't say that it didn't feel special at the border. One of the unique places in the world.
I will be returning to the site in January. This time from the south korean side.