Korea Sparkling 4th Event Tour To The DMZ- Brushing with the cold northerly winds
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July 25th marked the Korea Sparkling 4th event tour,
bringing together tourists and residents from all walks life to set up for a one
of a kind experience to the Korean Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ.
This tour
wasn’t your run of the mill tour to the DMZ either. On the cards was a trip that
brought the group to the mid-west border, an area were visitors can actually see
a good stretch of the DMZ, unlike most tours to the DMZ section closer to
Seoul. |
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After a two-and-a-half hour bus ride, the group arrived at the Yeolsoe
observatory for their first brush with the North. The Yeolsoe observatory got
its name from the 5th infantry keeping watch on the area. Arguably, Yeolsoe
observatory is the best place to get up close to the DMZ. Only a few meters
separate you from the eerily peaceful grounds of what has now become a sanctuary
for wildlife. Looking over this expanse of empty land, one has the impression of
looking at silence itself. Despite its unspoiled nature and eerie stillness,
this is no place to take a walk – landmines are everywhere. |
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The walking tour along the fence separating the south from the dangerously
peaceful DMZ is the big draw of a tour to Yeolsoe Observatory. Unfortunately for
our group, due to heavy rainfall, the grounds along the fence had become
unstable and the walk had to be cancelled. Under normal conditions, visitors
write their thoughts and prayers on ribbons and tie them to the fence. Military
officers also dispense a briefing to visitors explaining briefly the DMZ and the
surrounding area. A notable location nearby is the White Horse Mountain, where
thousands of Korean, UN and Chinese soldiers perished during a ferocious battle
in October 1952. |
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 After a
nice meal of bibimbap, the traditional Korean meal of rice, vegetables and red
pepper paste, our group happily headed towards their second stop of the day, the
infiltration tunnel #2. Infiltration tunnels are tunnels dug by the North
Koreans underneath the DMZ in order to infiltrate/invade the South. So far four
such tunnels have been discovered and it is believed there could be up to twenty
similar tunnels. Tunnel #2 was discovered in March 1975 and is located roughly
halfway through the DMZ. Thirty thousand soldiers could move through it in an
hour. Our tour group seemed really excited at the thought of plunging deep
underground and exploring what is a strong reminder of the tense relations
between North and South. Despite the gloominess of the tunnel, the mood was
jovial as bursts of laughter punctuated the exploration every time somebody
banged his/her helmet against the tunnel rocks overhead. |
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After having had a close look at the DMZ from the inside, it was time again
to take a good look at it from above, so our group made its way to the Peace
Observatory. Located in Cheorwon, the Peace Observatory is a state-of-the-art
observatory equipped with high definition telescopes and a monorail that leads
to the observatory from the parking grounds. Not far from there is Woljeongri
Station, the last train station before the North, featuring a bombed out train
from the war period. |
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Headquarters of The Labor
Party |
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 The trip ended with a visit to the ancient headquarters of the Labor
Party, a building built by the North Koreans before the Korean War at the time
Cheorwon was under their control. The building was destroyed during the war but
the walls remain, making this shell of a building an impressive sight. The
building has a gloomy presence that betrays its sad history; the place was used
to torture and kill Korean patriots, whose bodies were then discarded in the
trench at the back of the building. One can only imagine the horrors this
building as seen, yet the pain and anguish that sip through every pore of the
structure like a bad wound overwhelm. If these walls could talk, they would tell
a tale few would want to
hear. Written
by Mathieu Deprez
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