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DMZ stands for demilitarized zone. It is a stretch of land - a buffer space - that stretches for 151
miles along the 38th parallel between North and South Korea's armed border. We visited Panmunjom - an area on the
DMZ where they hold peace talks and negotiations. It was an eery "tourist" trip. Around the clock the two
sides blast propoganda over loudspeakers toward each others' camps. Both talk about how wonderful life is on their side
of the border. This peninsula has not been physically at war for over 50 years (an armistice, a ceasefire
is signed, but it is not an actual end to their differences). They both want total peace, but many complicated
factors stand in the way of them joining as one. We feel safe here and there is not a strong likelihood of major problems
breaking out, but the DMZ is a stark reminder that these countries are still sadly divided by philosophy and complicated politics.
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| North Korean Propoganda Village. No one lives here - eery as the propoganda blasts away. |
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| We got to tour the room where they negotiate. We are standing on the N. Korean side of the room. |
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| The U.S. Army uses this area to hit some balls, but no one retrieves any off the fairway. |
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| U.S. Army guy giving the tour. There are U.S. and South Korean troops stationed at the border. |
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| These guys stand in this "ready" stance for 2 hours with no break. The stance is from taek won do. |
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| This is a South Korean, by the way. We weren't going to take pics, but they encouraged - so we did. |
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