When I was an elementary school student, the world was in the middle of the Cold War,
Because I was born in South Korea facing North Korea, a communist country
I had to take an instructional system propaganda education at school.
I still vividly remember watching the movie “Killing Field” in the school auditorium after gathering all the students.
Now, I know that “Killing Field” is nothing more than a brutal massacre of a mentally ill man, which is somewhat far from the Communist Party, but I was deeply imprinted in my mind as a terrible group that killed people carelessly.
Along with that, another thing that North Korea was taught (brainwashing) as a ruthless communist force is the underground tunnel it created to invade South Korea as seen in the DMZ!
1. DMZ (The Demilitarized Zone) is a weapons-free buffer zone between North and South Korea.
It’s a place where I came in bored, so I’m not impressed
I couldn’t hide my surprise that the DMZ is considered an essential course for foreigners visiting Korea.
The tour order might be a bit different, Usually,
Imjingak > Third Tunnel > Dora Observatory > Tongilchon > Imjingak, and takes 3 hours.
Among them, the Third Tunnel and Dora Observatory can be said to be the highlight.
Still, since it is a border area with North Korea, it is a place where photography is not allowed, and it is a course that must be moved purely by the driver’s experience and memory, where GPS signals are also blocked.
2. JSA (Joint Security Area)
Historic meeting!
JSA is the historic place where supreme leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Trump met.
It would be most appropriate to say that JSA is a place of communication between the two countries that are currently in a truce, including the signing of an armistice agreement between South Korea (and the UN) and North Korea.
In fact, the DMZ is a place that clearly shows that Korea is a divided country and an armistice country, but since it is a tourist course, there is not much tension.
But JSA is different. It is a place where actual soldiers are facing North Korean soldiers, and the tension can be said to be on a completely different level from the DMZ.
Of course, JSA is also available for tours. However, the application process is more complicated than the DMZ and it takes time to obtain a permit, so if you plan to visit the JSA, we recommend checking your itinerary first before entering Korea.
* As of June 2024, the tour is not valid as military tensions between South Korea and North Korea are increasing.
