Korean DMZ

[Mr Lefty]

So I took a trip to the Korean De-Militarized Zone yesterday. Quite interesting... it snowed about 5" the night before and the whole way there and back. though while we were there... it was just COLD.

anyways... here's some pics.

if you wanna know more about the Korean DMZ... go here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_DMZ

This is the Bell of Hope... it represents the hope that one day North and South Korea will be reunited.




First shot's of North Korea

Notice there are no trees. it is because they are in such a harsh economic situation that they use all the trees for firewood as they don't have electricity in most locations (and at night only the capitol gets power) or Oil to heat.
These buildings were built as propaganda for the North against the south... they are large buildings meant to look like wealthy homes... in reality... most are empty and the buildings are very poorly constructed. some aren't even finished... (they were built 10+ years ago)









Next I went to Panmunjeom. it's only 800 meters in diameter and designated as the JSA (Joint Security Area) between the U.N. and North Korea. it is outside administrative control of both North and South Korea. The U.N. and North Korean sides each operate 6 guard posts and 35 security guards reside inside. Since the ax murder incident on 18 August 1976, by North Korean Soldiers, security guards are forbidden to cross over the opposing side's area.

in this photo... the South Korean soldier(as well as myself taking the picture) is standing in both North and South Korea (his left foot in North Korea, and his Right in South). the table in front of him is where talks between the U.N. and North Korea take place.


This Soldier is standing guard for our(the tourists) protection. he is standing at a Tae Kwan Do modified ready position. Dude was a hard ass... not one flinch for the 20 mins we were in front of him...

While taking the pictures of him... I was standing in North Korea.




Back outside I get my first shots of the Enemy... a North Korean Soldier



The line between the buildings half way between the two streets is the Military Demarcation Line. it separates North Korea from South. it's what I was straddling in the building to the left in previous photos.

Up until the ax murder incident in 1976, there was no line and north korean soldiers and U.N. (usually US forces) intermingled. the North Koreans would spit on the US troops, stomp on their toes, anything to try and get them to retaliate. since that incident... the two sides are forbidden from crossing to the other side. The soldier off to the right is standing with half his body behind the building in cover. just in case he is fired upon.



This is my favorite photo of the trip.
A south Korean soldier in the fore ground... with a North Korean in the back ground



our next stop was down to the observation post overlooking the "bridge of no return" it was used to Return 89,493 Chinise and North Korean captives and 13,444 U.N. Captives. The bridge got it's name because the captives were told not to look back or try to return or they would be shot.


The little monument down at the lower left of the pic is the monument to the 1976 ax murder incident... it replaced the tree stump in the 80's

[Mr Lefty]

from this location we could see Peace village or as known to those in South Korea as Propaganda City... the only North Korean city inside the DMZ. it got it's name because it housed speaker systems the size of 3 story buildings that played propaganda messages... mostly at night. but have been silent for some time. the city is empty and the only people that go there are the workers who do maintenance on the buildings to keep them in good repair.


This flag weighs 300lbs+ and is one of if not THE biggest in the world and hangs from the largest flag poll in the world... 160 meters tall. The flag is so heavy that it is brought down in storms as it would destroy the flag poll


This is a shot directly down the bridge of no return...

[fatbuckRTO]

Originally Posted by ebbs15

from this location we could see Peace village or as known to those in South Korea as Propaganda City... the only North Korean city inside the DMZ. it got it's name because it housed speaker systems the size of 3 story buildings that played propaganda messages... mostly at night. but have been silent for some time. the city is empty and the only people that go there are the workers who do maintenance on the buildings to keep them in good repair.

I'm not sure if they still do it, but North Korea used to bus people into Propaganda City during the day to give the appearance of prosperity and wealth. Then they would bus them out at night to live in, presumably, dirt farms or whatever huts they actually called home.

Originally Posted by ebbs15

This Soldier is standing guard for our(the tourists) protection. he is standing at a Tae Kwan Do modified ready position. Dude was a hard ass... not one flinch for the 20 mins we were in front of him...

Yeah, military service in South Korea is not for the faint of heart. They don't fuck around with EO complaints or sexual harassment training.

Cool pics, dude. Thanks for sharing.

[Mr Lefty]

Originally Posted by derf

They, as in the rock soldiers used to shoot at the speakers with high powered silenced rifles back in the day, then NKorea started to threaten SKorea after they figured out where the holes came from....

never heard that... can't say I'd blame them... I'd do the same

Originally Posted by fatbuckRTO

I'm not sure if they still do it, but North Korea used to bus people into Propaganda City during the day to give the appearance of prosperity and wealth. Then they would bus them out at night to live in, presumably, dirt farms or whatever huts they actually called home.

Yeah, military service in South Korea is not for the faint of heart. They don't fuck around with EO complaints or sexual harassment training.

Cool pics, dude. Thanks for sharing.

yeah I don't know if they still do that... but we were told that too... didn't seen anyone over there... course it was the coldest day of the winter so far so who knows...

it's weird... the ROK soldiers I see daily on Osan make me laugh... but those guys... big difference...

[fatbuckRTO]

Most people don't really realize what fucktards the North Koreans are. Some tidbits from Wikipedia:

Incursions

Since its demarcation, the DMZ has had numerous cases of incursions mostly by the North Koreans, although the North Korean government never acknowledges direct responsibility for any of these incidents[4]. Some instances include:

-17 January 1968: 31 North Korean commandos crossed the border disguised as South Korean soldiers in an attempt to assassinate President Park Chung Hee at The Blue House. The failed mission resulted in 29 commandos killed, one committed suicide, and the last captured. Two South Korean policemen and five civilians were killed by the commandos. Other reports indicated as many as 68 South Koreans killed and 66 wounded, including about 24 civilians. Three Americans were killed and another three wounded in an attempt to prevent the commandos from escaping back via the DMZ[5].
-October 1968: 130 North Korean commandos entered the Ulchin and Samcheok areas in Gangwon-do. Eventually 110 of them were killed, 7 were captured and 13 escaped.
-March 1969: Six North Korean infiltrators crossed the border near Chumunjin, Gangwon-do and killed a South Korean policeman on guard duty.
-October 1969: North Korean infiltrators killed four United States soldiers near the southern boundary of the DMZ.
-April 1970: Three North Korean infiltrators were killed and five South Korean soldiers wounded at an encounter in Kumchon, Gyeonggi-do.
-November 1974: The first of what would be a series of North Korean infiltration tunnels under the DMZ was discovered.
-March 1975: The second North Korean infiltration tunnel was discovered.
-June 1976: Three North Korean infiltrators and six South Korean soldiers were killed in the eastern sector south of the DMZ. Another six South Korean soldiers were injured.
-18 August 1976: The Axe Murder Incident results in the death of two U.S. soldiers and injuries to another four U.S. soldiers and five South Korean soldiers. The incident may not be technically considered an "infiltration" however, as it took place in a neutral zone of the Joint Security Area.
-October 1978: The third North Korean infiltration tunnel was discovered.
-October 1979: Three North Korean agents attempting to infiltrate the eastern sector of the DMZ were intercepted, killing one of the agents.
-March 1980: Three North Korean infiltrators were killed attempting to enter the south across the estuary of the Han River.
-March 1981: Three North Korean infiltrators spotted at Kumhwa, Gangwon-do, one was killed.
-July 1981: Three North Korean infiltrators were killed in the upper stream of Imjin River.
-May 1982: Two North Korean infiltrators were spotted on the east coast, one was killed.
-March 1990: The fourth North Korean infiltration tunnel was discovered, in what may be a total of 17 tunnels in all.
-May 1992: Three North Korean infiltrators dressed in South Korean uniforms were killed at Cheorwon, Gangwon-do. Three South Koreans were also wounded.
-October 1995: Two North Korean infiltrators were intercepted at Imjin River. One was killed, the other escaped.
-April 1996: Several hundred North Korean armed troops entered the Joint Security Area and elsewhere on three occasions in violation of the Korean armistice agreement.
-May 1996: Seven North Korean soldiers crossed the DMZ but withdrew when fired upon by South Korean troops.
-April 1997: Five North Korean soldiers cross the military demarcation line's Cheorwon sector and fired at South Korean positions.
-July 1997: Fourteen North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line, causing a 23-minute exchange of heavy gunfire.
-May 26, 2006: Two North Korean soldiers enter the DMZ and crossed into South Korea. They returned after South Korean soldiers fired warning shots.
-October 7, 2006: South Korean soldiers fire warning shots after North Korean soldiers cross briefly into their side of the border.

[Mr Lefty]

Another incident occurred later when a Soviet dignitary, who was part of an official trip to the JSA (hosted by the North), ran across the MDL yelling that he wanted to defect. North Korean troops opened fire and chased him across the line. South Korean troops, protecting the defector, fired back and eventually surrounded the North Koreans. One South Korean soldier was killed in the incident. The defector expressed joy in his successful attempt but was saddened by the loss of life. Since this incident, the North Korean soldiers face one another when guarding the border so that they are keeping an eye on each other. This is to keep them from defecting. They are ordered to shoot anyone who attempts to defect before they reach the line.

[OneSickPsycho]

Very pretty country there... Too bad all the pretty ones are so fucked up.

[Mr Lefty]

Yeah no shit. wished I could have made it up there in the summer too...

[derf]

They, as in the rock soldiers used to shoot at the speakers with high powered silenced rifles back in the day, then NKorea started to threaten SKorea after they figured out where the holes came from....

[Curb]

cool pics ebbs. hopefully one day all the people of korea, north and south can ring that bell. a good start would be to get rid of kim jong "mentally" il