Blogs from DMZ, South Korea, Asia - page 2

As I left Korea, one lasting impression was of the confusing mixture of sentiments and thoughts that I encountered concerning the Korean War. First, we would do well to remember that Korea was first split after World War II, before the Korean War. Korea had been controlled by the Japanese Empire in the decades preceding World War II, and much like Europe, was split amongst the Allied powers after the war. Control of the South was given to the American military, the North fell under Soviet military control. Differences smoldered when free elections were not held as planned in 1948. Then, in 1950, the North invaded the South. The UN quickly became involved. Their action was in part made possible by the fact that the Soviet Union was boycotting the UN at the time over the ... read more

We were picked up just after 7am to start our ‘DMZ tour’ with VIPTours in Seoul. To be honest I was a bit skeptical when our tour guide was wearing 4 inch heels, pink and purple splatter painted skinny jeans, a jersey top, a bejewelled baseball hat and was so proud to be the same height as Lady Gaga. She proved me wrong and ended up being a great guide who was so interesting to talk to about South Korean politics and government. The demilitarized zone between North and South Korea is about 250 km long and 4km wide. It is the most heavily militarized border in the world! On our drive out to the DMZ there is a huge barbed wire fence and guard posts all along the Han River to keep out North Korean ... read more

She deserves more.... read more

A few things I've done over the passed few days... Visited the DMZ, short for demilitarized zone, right along the 38th parallel running from coast to coast. Ironically it's the most heavily militarized border there is with Korean, American and UN troops guarding the perimeter at all times. Many incidents around the DMZ have happend since the 1953 armistice such as shootouts, guerrilla incursions, and secret tunnels built underneath for an eventual invasion by North Korea. The only way there was to book with a travel agency, which I did back in Seoul. The day of, we took the bus to the border, passing major roadblocks, guard towers, and mine fields. Sadly there are loads of mines on both sides of the dmz. Then we went to see the special train station built by the south ... read more

I went to South Korea with the determination to go to North Korea. I met someone on my travels who said that if you go to North Korea through the south its like going to Niagara Falls and saying you went to Canada. I saw his point, but I really didn't care. As it turns out there is a way into North Korea through a Beijing tour company Koryo. After adding the extra cost for being from the US and being required to fly in and out and not being allowed to see the countryside the trip would cost $2000 for five days. I decided that I would wouldn't do either of the tours that actually go into North Korea and would have to settle for the DMZ tour, much to the pleasure of my family. ... read more