The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea. The DMZ is a de facto border barrier and divides the Korean Peninsula approximately in half.
The DMZ is a buffer zone aiming to provide distance between two sides to prevent direct military skirmishes following ceasefires, and it was set up to stop hostile military actions and to be used as a temporary space for maintaining peace.
The fourth tunnel, the first found in the Eastern Sector, was discovered about 26 kilometers northeast of Yanggu. With this discovery, we know that North Korea has dug invasion tunnels along the entire stretch of the front line.
North Korea is notorious for its secrecy and tight travel restrictions. Currently, South Koreans are allowed to visit the DMZ as a part of an organized excursion. During the Korean War, many families were separated from loved ones who are now allowed to reunite at Mount Kumgang, a resort close to the shared border.
A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between states, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel.
The DMZ is a 4km (2.5 miles) wide buffer zone between North and South Korea, who are still technically at war having never signed a peace treaty. The DMZ is split in two, with each side controlled by the respective nations.
If you're wondering whether independent visits to the DMZ are permitted, the answer is no. An organized tour is the only way to visit the DMZ. Tours are typically either a half-day or full-day experience, including pickup and drop-off.
While DMZ tour has no dress code, JSA imposes a dress code. Visitors should not wear casual clothing. Basically, when dressing for JSA tour, choose clothes that you would wear to meet your girlfriend's or boyfriend's grandparents for the first time.
In the DMZ, access is limited to keep visitors safe and sound. And because it's uninhabited by people, this area preserves valuable ecology and historical attractions.
Back in 1962, US Army soldier James Joseph Dresnok crossed the DMZ into the North and ended up living in the country until his death in 2016, having even appeared in many North Korean films. Other examples include Charles Robert Jenkins, who defected to the North in 1965, and Joseph T. White, who defected in 1982.
How to get to DMZ. DMZ is situated at the border with South Korea 160km along Pyongyang-Kaesong Motorway southeast from Pyongyang. It is about 3 hour drive from Pyongyang. On the halfway to DMZ you can make a stop at Sohung Tea House that bridges the road: have some tea, ginseng and beer, and taste some local snacks.
stretches more than 240 km (149 mi) from east to west, is 5–8 m (16–26 ft) high, 10–19 m (33–62 ft) thick at the bottom, and 3–7 m (10–23 ft) wide in the upper part.
The DMZ is not part of your private network or the public internet so it is a neutral zone that is still seen as secure. This allows you to send out data and other information over this zone to the public internet or other private networks outside of yours without having to worry about it being compromised.
The DMZ is really close to Seoul, so it doesn't take long to get there, but it is worth it to have a whole day to see the different sights. A stop to the Dora Observatory is a must. This is the area where you can look through long-range binoculars (for a small fee) to see into the propaganda village in North Korea.
There are no troops in the DMZ itself, although both sides of the 2.5-mile strip of land separating the Koreas are the most heavily armed in the world.
Travelers can only visit the DMZ as part of an organized, guided tour, which generally includes the chance to see the Joint Security Area (JSA), also known as. Visitors can also see both North Korean and South Korean soldiers each guarding their respective sides of the DMZ.
Safety: The DMZ is one of the most heavily militarized borders in the world, with a high risk of conflict. Standing behind cover provides protection against potential gunfire or other threats from across the border.
DMZ is a military operation area, and you cannot carry any arms, hazardous materials, alcohols, or fishing equipment. Do not capture animals, pick wild vegetables, or illegally dump trash. Areas other than designated roads are unidentified minefields, and access is strictly prohibited.
US travelers have been banned from visiting North Korea since September 1, 2017, so access via the South is the only option. Most first-time visitors choose a combined DMZ and JSA tour by way of Seoul.
Visitors can take photos, but they must walk and stand where instructed to, and cannot wave or make other untoward gestures. They can legally step across the DMZ's demarcation line, but only when inside the blue-roofed Military Armistice Commission huts, where the 1953 ceasefire was negotiated.
No, such a trip is not possible. There are no direct flights between North and South Korea. Technically, the countries are still at war. There is no peace treaty, but an armistice where the countries cease actively fighting.
North Korea (extending beyond the top of this image) lies on the upper part of the peninsula and is almost devoid of nighttime lights. In contrast, South Korea lies on the lower part of the peninsula and exhibits night lights from many cities of different sizes.
"The DMZ remains a very dangerous area due to mines, unexploded ordnance, poor infrastructure and the resident forces of both sides," the UNC said on its website. Most infamously, axe-wielding North Korean soldiers in the DMZ in 1976 murdered two U.S. soldiers who were cutting down a tree to secure a clear view.