Day 9: Seoul - DMZ Tour

Today we headed on a tour to visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with PLK Tours. On the way to the DMZ area our tour guide Simba, explained the history of Korea to us. She explained how Korea was freed from Japanese rule in 1945, following the end of World War II, however by 1948, Korea had been divided into two separate states: North Korea and South Korea.

In 1950, the Korean war began and North Korea invaded the South, capturing Seoul within three days. The majority of the country was under North Korea control, apart from the Busan region, within a month. In response the USA gathered support from 23 countries to help defend South Korea. They attacked from the west coast at Incheon, near Seoul, and pushed the North Koreans back. The South Koreans nearly took back full control of the whole country until China entered the war forcing the South Koreans back again. Eventually in 1953 a ceasefire was agreed and the current division line set at the DMZ.

We visited the Imjingak Peace Park, on the outskirts of the DMZ, that had a train with thousands of bullet holes in it, a statue dedicated to woman who were sexually assaulted during the war and the place where South Koreans gather during Korean Thanksgiving to pray for loved ones who are still stuck in North Korea.

One of the best parts of the tour was meeting a North Korean lady who escaped the North and shared her story with us. She explained that herself and her husband traded North Korean antiques with the Chinese but was arrested and imprisoned for a year in 1990s, during which they were tortured. Her husband died after seven months but once released from prison she made the decision to escape to the south. With the help of Chinese traders, she fled through China, then traveled across Myanmar, Cambodia, and Thailand before finally reaching South Korea.

She explained that on arrival the South Koreans welcome any North Korean person. They get three months education on arrival learning how to use a bus, how to use a credit card and opening a bank account. They also get free housing, an opportunity to work and a Korean passport.

It was interesting learning about life in North Korea. Growing up in North Korea she was told that Japan, USA and South Korea were the enemies and she did not know about Europe until she reached South Korea. Food is scarce, with most people eating rice and vegetables, as animals are used for working rather than as food. They have entertainment such as K-pop and K-dramas however they are mainly focused on Kim Jong-un and how great the country is. Anyone who leaves North Korea is regarded as dead but she was able to contact her son through the Chinese traders and eventually got her son out of the country too. When asked if anything was better in the North, she replied that the air is cleaner.

Afterward, we passed through a checkpoint where South Korean checked our passports and finally we were in the DMZ zone. We then explored the Third Infiltration Tunnel which was a tunnel dug by North Korea in attempt to enter South Korea. South Koreans discovered the tunnel just before they reached the invasion. We walked down a steep narrow passage wearing hard hats and crouching to avoid hitting our heads. It was crazy to think that this tunnel lies 170 metres from the North Korean border.

Our last stop was the Dora Observatory building. We got the opportunity to look through binoculars and see into North Korea and the city of Kaesong. We spotted people working in fields, soliders at an outpost, a group that appeared to be marching in formation, and even someone cycling along a road. It felt strange to watch normal life happening in North Korea wondering will the border ever be open for free passage of travel.

Overall, this was an incredible tour and we were delighted to learn so much about the DMZ and North Korean life.

When we got back to the city we relaxed by the Cheonggyecheon stream for a while as the sun started to set and we enjoyed time people watching. After some dinner we hiked part of the Seoul City Wall Trail which gave some beautiful views of the city's nightlight and ended our night having a lovely glass of wine reflecting on a wonderful holiday. We concluded that it was a brilliant adventure with plenty of highlights and well worth the thousands of daily steps. We hope to be back at some stage in the future and would definitely recommend others visit the wonderful county too.Read more