DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) The Reason Marc is Stationed Here!

It is official...I can LEAVE Korea! Going to the DMZ was my LAST thing on "my list" of things to do while in Korea. BUT we almost didn't make it. The Bremer's were watching Ana for us for the day so we could both go and the plan was for us to drop her off at their house on the way to the bus which left at 7:30am. WELL, Marc set our alarm for us to be up by 6 so we had plenty of time. However, he just got off the night shift of a week long exercise and would wake up at 6pm to start his day and he didn't switch the am/pm...so when the phone rang at 7:15 asking if we were on our way we FLEW through the house and had John meet us at the bus to take Ana and beg them to wait for us and we were on the bus ready at 7:40! Mind you we live off base and it's at least a 5 min drive to the base! We sat down on the bus and Marc looks at me and says, "Did you have time to put underwear on?" I said, YES, did you? Now why would he ask this question if he had HIS underwear on? FUN start of our day!

After a two hour drive north our first stop was at the "Freedom Bridge". This is the closest point civilians can get to North Korea and a place where many Korean’s go to leave messages for their lost family members. Kinda sad.


We went to a museum and there were lots of North Korean items. I thought this was most interesting...EVERYONE, EVERYDAY has to wear a pin with a picture of Kim Jong Il...their dictator.

This is an example of a classroom in North Korea...notice the pictures above the board...Kim Il Sung (1st dictator appointed by Russia after WWII and father of current leader) and Kim Jong Il (second pic above the board and current leader). We were told that they have to worship both leaders, that this is the North Korean religion...so sad.

Then we went to Dorason Station. This is a train station that is functioning in the South but ends here at the DMZ. The tracks are there and the capability is there...but North Koreans won't allow it...yet. There is hope that it will someday connect to China and Russia train systems.

This is the sign leading North to Peongyang (North's capital) to South to Seoul (South's capital). ALSO, we got to stamp our passport here and this sign is what the stamp looks like.

JSA...Joint Security Area. This is where the United Nations and North Korea meet. Blue buildings are United Nation buildings and the others are North Korea. VERY FREAKY. Just a little history...at the end of WWII Japan had occupied ALL of Korea so since the Russians and Americans won the war....we split the country into North (Communist Russia at the time) and South (American democracy) and those governments were established. The Korean War (1950-1953) was about the North wanting the entire country under the communist government. In 1953 an Armistice Agreement was put in place so technically we are still at war. Which is why Marc is stationed here today.

This is a ROK (Republic of South Korea) solider guarding that door. On the other side of it are North Korean soldiers. We are standing on the North Korean side here...very nerve racking!

Although the cease fire was signed in 1953, no peace agreement or treaty was signed, and as a result, fighting could conceivably resume at any time. This accounts for the extreme tension and hostility that remains in the DMZ to this day. This is a pic of the actual DMZ fence. In learning all this, I am amazed that this is a tour...we were in a hostile area!

Art...symbolizing the joining of North and South Korea with the train tracks.

This is the site where WWIII almost happened. I'll be honest, I didn't know North Korea was SUCH a huge threat until we got this assignment. Makes COMPLETE sense why we are here and how important it is to preserve the peace. BUT back in 1976 there was a tree here that was blocking the views on the DMZ so there was a joint effort to trim the tree and the North Korean's attacked and killed Americans and the South Korean's involved in the tree trimming. Otherwise known as Axe Murder Incident.

The "Bridge of No Return". 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.
The last time the bridge was used for prisoner exchanges was in 1968 when the crew of the USS Pueblo was released and ordered to cross into South Korea via the bridge. The bridge was actively used by the North Koreans up until the Axe Murder Incident in August 1976.

The South Korean's have found 4 tunnels that the North Koreans have built. Infiltration Tunnel #3 was discovered on 17 October 1978 and it is almost the same size as the Infiltration Tunnel #2. It was discovered in an area 4Km south of Panmunjom within the DMZ. The tunnel is arch shaped, and about 30,000 armed troops could infiltrate through the tunnel in an hour. (According to Wikipedia, North Korea has the fifth-largest military in the world, China is first and US is second just FYI).Tunnel #3 is much more threatening than Infiltration Tunnels #1 and #2. It is very obvious that North Korea planned to use the tunnel not only for wartime purposes, but also for armed guerrilla infiltration during periods of turbulences in the South. SCARY!!! HOW MANY TUNNELS HAVE THEY BUILT THAT WE HAVEN'T FOUND YET?????

We couldn't take our cameras down into the tunnel. It was a very eerie feeling to be down in there...walking towards North Korea. I highlighted the dates throughout this posting to show you guys how RECENT this all is. Everything has happened in my parents or my lifetime. Again, I can't thank God enough that I am an American and have the freedoms and security everyday that Marc and all our service men and women provide for us!!!