THE DEMILITARISED ZONE
MILITARY DEMARCATION LINE AND DEMILITARISED ZONE AROUND THE 38TH PARALLEL BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH
At the armistice in July 1953, a Military Demarcation Line (MDL) between North and South Korea was agreed at the village of Panmunjom, where the negotiation pavilion still stands. 2 kilometres either side of the line were evacuated to become the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). The DMZ is thus four kilometres wide and 248 kilometres long, dividing North and South Korea. Most of the territory in the DMZ was evacuated (such as the village of Panmunjom). Two villages within the DMZ remain – Daeseong-dong in the South and Kijong-dong in the North. It is alleged that Kijong-dong was built in the 1950s as a propaganda stunt.
The DMZ can be visited, although great caution needs to be observed and security is tight. Sights include Dorasan Station on the edge of the DMZ, Odusan Unification Observatory, the Third Infiltration Tunnel, and the Bridge of Freedom crossing the Imjin River at Imjingak. Tours to the DMZ (and even inside it to Daesong-dong and Panmunjom, for instance) can be arranged with notice.
This active border (the most heavily fortified border in the world) represents a visceral scar of the war, now 70 years in the past, but still a part of everyday life in modern Korea, and in the present worldwide political and military situation (technically the two sides are still at war).
Open all year (there is an 11pm curfew at Daesong-dong). Admission is free, extreme caution is advised.