Is it just a coincidence that only a few days after I visited the DMZ, North Korea agreed to stop producing nuclear weapons? I leave it to you to decide. Okay, so I only went 3 feet into North Korea, surrounded by U.S. and Republic of Korea (ROK) soldiers and two busloads of other tourists. Still, I can say I was there! I went on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) sponsored by the USO. When I hear USO I think of WWII or Bob Hope, but the organization is alive and well and continuing to serve soldiers overseas. There were two buses full of tourists from the U.S., U.K., Australia, and assorted nationals from other countries, including a beautiful young Serbian photographer I sat next to at lunch. We drove about 45 minutes north of Seoul to Panmunjom, where the armistice suspending the war between North and South Korea was signed in 1953. It is the most heavily-defended border in the world. The pictures are of the buildings that house the negotiating teams for each side when they meet; the table with the ROK soldier standing at its head is where the main talks take place. I am pictured standing next to another ROK soldier, who is in a taekwondo semi-alert stance, on the North Korean side of the building. The other pictures are of the buildings---the blue are owned by U.N. forces, the gray by North Korea. The guard tower is also North Korean. The guy looking through the binoculars at us is a North Korean guard. He alternated between staring at us and ducking behind the pillar, out of sight. The other two NK soldiers would stroll to the limits of their boundary and then stroll back. The tourists would get excited and start taking pictures. It reminded me of bear sightings at Yellowstone. The town is in NK and boasts the biggest flag in the world; it weighs 600 pounds and requires 50 men to bring it down. The soldier who gave us our "briefing" said that Soldier of Fortune magazine has offered a million dollars to anyone who can bring back a 3 foot square piece of that flag. The bridge is called "The Bridge of No Return," used by soldiers in 1953 to return to either the north or the south.
2 comments:
Who knew you were so brave?
wow lolo, pretty cool!! I'm a little disappointed you didn't mirror the soldier's stance in the picture, that would have been priceless! The scenery and buildings on both sides of the border look incredible!
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