Dryden’s Kristen van Vogt is teaching English in South Korea and traveling throughout East Asia for the next year. This is her latest monthly column on her experiences.

Understanding life in South Korea and the nation’s complex relationship with the North is not possible without a trip to the DMZ. The DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), expanding across the 38th parallel dividing North and South Korea, is an area in which no military activity is permitted. This area is 4 km wide and 248 km long; to ensure that this large strip of land remains demilitarized, the area is littered with land mines. Surrounding the DMZ is the most heavily militarized border in the world.

The 55 km highway from Seoul to the DMZ is lined with barbed wire. The land belongs to South Korea, but the barbed wire borders a massive river originating from North Korea. Military outposts dot the edges of the river.

Before being allowed into the militarized area surrounding the DMZ, our tour bus stopped at Imjingak tourist resort. This is an odd place for a tourist resort you might think, particularly one including an amusement park. The park was created as a place for Korean families unable to return to their hometowns during important holidays. The pilgrimage home is very important and Imjingak was built as a place where the displaced people could pay their respects to their ancestors.
Imjingak is also home to the Freedom Bridge: a bridge originally used by refugees from the North, but now more famous for the exchange of POWs following the war.

A fence covered in barbed wire cuts off access to the longer bridge into the North, and is laden with prayers for families and unification.

Once arriving at the DMZ checkpoint, a brief inspection of passports is done by the South Korean military. No pictures are allowed of this area.

Our first stop was the 3rd Invasion Tunnel, an intense sight to behold. This tunnel, discovered in 1978, was designed by North Korea for a surprise attack on Seoul. It is large enough for an army of 30,000 fully-armed North Korean soldiers to pass through within an hour. It was discovered just 52 km from Seoul. It is the largest of four infiltration tunnels discovered to date, and there are believed to be at least 10 more. Upon discovery, North Korea painted the walls of the tunnel with black coal, officially declaring the granite walls as part of a coal mine. As I grazed my fingers along the wet walls of the tunnel, black dust still came off on my finger tips.

Dora Observatory is the only place in South Korea where you can see into North Korea. What you see is nothing but propaganda. The government built a modern village in order to advertise the alleged abundance and wealth of the North. There are no North Koreans actually living in this village as the government believed it was too close to the border (and maybe the citizens would jump ship). This fake town does boast the tallest flag pole in the world (160m) and a flag weighing 300kg in order for it to be seen from South Korea.

Dorasan Station, our last stop, is the northern most train station in South Korea. The station is mainly symbolic, but once a day a train does depart for North Korea, taking raw materials and returning with finished goods. It has become a gateway of interchange between the North and South. Citizens are still not allowed to cross the border, though a sign for Pyeongyang, North Korea, represents hope for a future reunification.