DMZ: Split into two but connected by History
The surrealism of standing in-between the most fortified border in the world with both blasting noise and music from either side. The endless red and blue ribbons tied across the fences shake me up quite a bit, I was careful in every step and every movement that I made during my visit to the DMZ as it was heavily guarded by the military. It was also at the peak of the tension between the North and South, which it was not a good time to visit apparently.
Booking my Trip
Visiting DMZ solo is not possible, and the easiest way to visit DMZ is by visiting Klook.com to book an authorised coach. The whole journey was smooth and there was no hard-selling of any products of any sorts, the tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable too.
The only thing that I wish to complain was that we have to wake up super early than usual đ (I am apparently not an early owl!). The ride was very smooth and comfortable, the tour guide was quite humorous as well and, before we know it, we have already arrived at our first destination - Majang Lake Suspension Bridge.
Just look at the view! It was also Autumn with falling brown leaves which make it even more pleasing to the eyes. NGL, I was trembling in my heart when crossing the bridge but managed to pull through! But I would need to turn back and crossed the very same bridge again...
Next, we en-route to the destination that we all anticipated - Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). We were not allowed to take any pictures during this time as we are entering the important military areas, young soldiers would came up to each coach to conduct check on each person - it was also interesting that there are civilians living within the DMZ! They would have to do the same identities check every single day if they are out and about, there is also curfew and civilian will be refused entry if they miss the cut-off time.
"LET THE IRON HORSE RUN AGAIN" heavily etched on this monument, hopefully we could see the train crosses over to the North within our lifetime, one day...
Speaking of train, I think the most striking monument for me is an locomotive used in the war to supply front line, it is now riddled with bullet holes. It is not hard to imagine the hardships during wars just by looking at a locomotive, I was told that this was the last train to cross across the Korean peninsular and was secretly dragged back to its current location.
Another monument that left me unsettled was the pair of statuesâtwo girls, each symbolising a different country. The guide told me that the one on the left was meant to be a gift to North Korea, but things went sour between the two sides, and itâs just been left here ever since...
I have also visited the nearby souvenir`s store and got my first North Korean Won, I will highly recommend you to not do that as the price was steep and not worth it unless you are a history junkie like me.
Overall, I really enjoyed the trip to DMZ, and I even got a glimpse of the Kijong-dong (A North Korean`s propaganda city). Hopefully, I would have the chance to visit North Korea in the near future.
Would you like to visit North Korea someday, if you ever got the chance to go?