An interesting day for Mr B on Sunday, which included a trip up to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ).
Situated 53km north of Seoul, the truce village of Panmunjeom where the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, is the only place in the DMZ (Demilitarized zone) where visitors are permitted.
About a kilometer from here is the Joint Security Area where discussions still take place between South and North Korea in blue huts that straddle the demarcation line.
Just talking with Mr B and looking at the photos I can’t help feeling a combination of a little uneasy mixed with interest and intrigue.
In the picture above there are a few interesting elements to point out:
1. See the group of three soldiers in the distance huddled together, they are North Korean and they are as close to the border as they can get.
2. The concrete threshold in the middle of the photo you can see running between the two huts – that is the border.
3. Notice the South Korean guard standing with half his body behind the blue building. The reason for standing this way is to reduce his body surface / target area (The US troop must have missed that briefing…) and so he can signal discretely as required.
Something that caught Mr B’s eye was this group of North Korean servicemen who were, through their binoculars, having a good old stare at him. At first he thought maybe it’s just in his direction, but no, they kept their eyes on him. Hence Mr B’s decision to take a photo of them watching him! I would love to know what they were talking about and why the fascination.
It reminds me of those caption competitions you see in the newspapers – what do you think they are discussing? Best caption gets a prize!
This is a piece of history I would never have thought we would get to experience. I hope to get up there myself sometime soon.
my Seoul to be 