19th of February 2015
As expected we met the group for the DMZ (60km away from Seoul) at 9h. We were a bit disappointed because during the Chinese New Year we were not able to visit the UN office where we can see the soldiers of South and North Koreas.
While we were in the bus, I was able to feel the emotion in the voice of our guide when she was talking about the history. Indeed, she was talking about all those families separated by the war, all the North Korean refugees trying to go back to South Korea, and especially the fact that on nation is separated by a 5km large boarder full of explosives and soldiers ready to shoot each other.
We first arrive on one of the last bridges which "survived" after the war. It has been closed on the side of South Korea and there was a wall with all kind of messages for peace and love.
Nearby, there was the rest of the last train which managed to arrive in South Korea before the end of the war. The train was full of bullets holes, a real sign of a war "survivor"...
While we were in the bus, I was able to feel the emotion in the voice of our guide when she was talking about the history. Indeed, she was talking about all those families separated by the war, all the North Korean refugees trying to go back to South Korea, and especially the fact that on nation is separated by a 5km large boarder full of explosives and soldiers ready to shoot each other.
We first arrive on one of the last bridges which "survived" after the war. It has been closed on the side of South Korea and there was a wall with all kind of messages for peace and love.
Nearby, there was the rest of the last train which managed to arrive in South Korea before the end of the war. The train was full of bullets holes, a real sign of a war "survivor"...
After visiting this part, we went to visit the tunnels... Tunnels which North Koreans have built in order to overpass the demilitarized zone and reach South Korea. Our guide said that there are supposed to be 24 tunnels but only 4 have been discovered... Kind of scary... As from what she was saying some of them are supposed to go until Seoul...
We finally went to a view point from where we were able to see parts of North Korea as well as some "propaganda" villages built from the North Koreans in order to attract South Koreans to immigrate there... Well I guess no body wants to immigrate now there but 40 years ago several people crossed the boarder as South Korea was under development.
We also went to a new built train station. Indeed, South Koreans are isolated by North Korea from the Asian continent. Their goal is now to build a train line and start some economic cooperation so the South Koreans goods can be transported through North Korea and then to China and the world.
And indeed, when there is an economic cooperation the chances of having war are becoming smaller...
Around 15h we managed to come back to the downtown of Seoul and we even got a coffee in the downtown before taking the bus to go to the airport. Next stop: Osaka
We finally went to a view point from where we were able to see parts of North Korea as well as some "propaganda" villages built from the North Koreans in order to attract South Koreans to immigrate there... Well I guess no body wants to immigrate now there but 40 years ago several people crossed the boarder as South Korea was under development.
We also went to a new built train station. Indeed, South Koreans are isolated by North Korea from the Asian continent. Their goal is now to build a train line and start some economic cooperation so the South Koreans goods can be transported through North Korea and then to China and the world.
And indeed, when there is an economic cooperation the chances of having war are becoming smaller...
Around 15h we managed to come back to the downtown of Seoul and we even got a coffee in the downtown before taking the bus to go to the airport. Next stop: Osaka
