Visiting the Korean Demilitarized Zone

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) may not be everyone's idea of a tourist attraction, but the heavily fortified dividing line between North and South Korea receives thousands of visitors every year. Visiting the DMZ is a fascinating experience and a sobering look at how political differences continue to separate countries and peoples.

The 155-mile (248-kilometer) Military Demarcation Line (MDL) between North and South Korea was established as part of the Korean Armistice Agreement of 1953. The Agreement created a 1.25-mile (2-km) demilitarized zone on either side of the MDL, giving the DMZ a total width of 2.5 miles (4 km). The border is marked by a series of 1,292 yellow markers. Barbed wire fences run along the Northern and Southern Boundary Lines along the outer edges of the DMZ.

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I visited the DMZ a few years ago on a day trip from Seoul, roughly 30 miles away. After passing through a checkpoint on our tour bus, we were ushered into a United Nations (UN) Command building for an introductory presentation and then transferred to UN vehicles since no other cars or buses are permitted inside the DMZ. US and UN soldiers escorted our group throughout our visit.

Though the idea behind the DMZ was that it would be free of military operations, the reality is that there are plenty of guard posts and soldiers throughout the zone. After boarding the UN buses our first stop was at the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjeom, the only place in the DMZ where North and South Korean forces face off at close range. It was here that the Armistice Agreement was signed after more than two years of peace talks between the Communist forces and the United Nations (UN) Command, and several other important events have taken place here as well.

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Disembarking at Panmunjeom we passed through South Korea's large Freedom House to emerge onto the steps overlooking the border, which is straddled by three low-rise buildings containing conference rooms. There was no obvious demarcation of the MDL, but the looming Panmon Hall on the North Korean side was only yards away, as were several watch towers from which soldiers of the Korean People's Army kept an eye on their southern neighbors. Our military guides warned us not to stare or wave at the towers. Though all was calm, the tension at Panmunjeom was palpable.

We were permitted to enter the middle conference building, which contained several tables, the central one positioned exactly along the border so that half of the seats were in each country. We entered through the southern door; at the north end of the building was another door leading into North Korea. Two South Korean soldiers stood on guard inside the conference room.

We also stopped at a number of other viewpoints in the JSA, including one near the Bridge of No Return, where prisoners of war were exchanged after the 1953 armistice. The name originates from the fact that POWs were given the choice of returning home or remaining in the country of their captivity; however, if they chose to cross the bridge, they would never be allowed to come back. The MDL runs directly through the center of the bridge, which is no longer used except for ceremonies.

A monument near the bridge on the South Korean side marks the spot where the infamous Tree-Cutting Incident (also known as the Axe Murder Incident) took place in 1976 when North Korean soldiers attacked and killed two US Army officers who were attempting to trim a tree that was blocking the view to the north.

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One of the stops on our tour offered a good view across the border to Kijong-dong, North Korea, frequently called Propaganda Village. The flag tower at Kijon-dong is the tallest in the world at 525 feet (though there is some controversy as to whether it can be considered the world's tallest flagpole since the structure is not technically a pole). The flag tower is another example of the antagonism between north and south. When the South Koreans increased the height of their shorter flagpole at Taeseong-dong to 328 feet (100 meters), the North Koreans responded by constructing this even taller tower. From the tower flies a North Korean flag weighing 600 pounds.

There are various tour itineraries along different stretches of the DMZ. Hopefully it will one day be possible to travel peacefully and freely between North and South Korea, but as long as the political standoff continues, a visit to the DMZ is an interesting way to gain some insight into this long-standing conflict and efforts to contain the threat of war.