Although we are not allowed to visit the Joint Security Area (Panmunjeom) as it is closed because of the South Korean election we still went to the DMZ to have a look round. We left at 7.30 as Paul wanted to be sure that we got there early so that we could take the train down to the 3rd infiltration tunnel. The traffic out of Seoul wasn’t too bad and soon we were driving along the side of the Han River, close to Seoul the river has a row of barbed wire running along the edge but as we got closer to the border with North Korea more and more rows of barbed wire appeared until there were 4 or 5 rows where the river is at its narrowest. We pulled into the carpark about 8.45 so went up to the observation deck but unfortunately there is a lot of smog so we didn’t have a very good view across to the North. You are not allowed to drive over you have to buy your ticket and get onto the tourist bus, luckily we were early enough that Paul managed to get us front row seats although to be honest there isn’t a lot to look at! We left at 9.20 and drove along the highway that does actually run all the way to Pyongyang and was paid for by the previous head of Hyundai but obviously it is not currently open so we went through the security check where the list of names and passport numbers were handed over to the military who checked everyone then we were allowed to drive to the site of the 3rd Infiltration tunnel. We watched a short video on the history of the conflict, but to be honest it was almost too short as trying to give almost 70 years of history in 7 minutes was always going to be rushed, but I was surprised to learn that they actually found a 4th tunnel in the 1990s and that as recently as 2010 the North attacked a South Korean ship sinking it and killing all on board. From here we went to the ‘train’ which takes you down 200 metres to the tunnel that was built by the north It was discovered in 1978 and is 52km from Seoul although it has gone significantly under the DMZ. It is 2m wide, 2m high and 1.635m long. It is said that they were planning to send 30,000 people (soldiers) though per hour! We walked as far as we could which isn’t actually very far as they have put three concrete barriers across between the north and south as they were worried that it could still be used for an invasion! Having walked to the concrete barrier we turned round, walked back and went back up on the train. We went and had a look round the museum which provided details of what can be seen on either side of the wall, we had our photo taken with the DMZ sign then got back on the coach and set off for the next stop which was the Observatory which is basically a platform where you can look across to the North, unfortunately again because of the smog we couldn’t see very much at all but what we should have been able to see was the Propoaganda Village, farmland, Gaseong Industrial Complex and a bronze statue of Kim Il Seong although all we could really make out was a flagpole with the flag of North Korea on it and some buildings! We went to Dorasan Station which is the northernmost station located over 700 metres form the South Korean boundary line of the DMZ. Dorasan Station used to connect North and South Korea and when the connection of the Gyeongui Line is completed at some stage in the future then it will provide services for people and goods to China or Russia, unfortunately probably not any time soon! Our final stop was at Tongilchon Village which is actually just a farming area that has a shop and cafe although it is where you can try Jangdan Beans but to be honest is more of a tourist stop where everyone seemed to buy an ice-cream rather than have a look round. We crossed back over the border control and had a final look round then got back into the car to head back to Seoul. We arrived back at the hotel about 1.30 so Chris had the great idea of asking reception for a recommendation for lunch and we went off in search of one of the restaurants, I have to say it was a good call as we had some spicy rice thing which was really nice, after lunch we went for a walk round the local area, had a look at the Sungnyemun Gate and worked out the route for tomorrows site seeing then went to the hotel to have a relax before heading out for dinner later.
