DMZ
The DMZ or Demilitarized Zone is a 250 kilometres long buffer zone across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a divide between North Korea and South Korea.
Established by the United Nations and the two Koreas in 1953 as a measure to end the Korean War, the Korean Armistice Agreement was drafted to lay down the ground rules for the DMZ. This area is a ‘No Man’s Land’ with the Chinese and North Koreans standing 2 km north while the UN and South Koreans stand 2km south of the DMZ, each heavily armed.
Within this ‘No Man’s Land’ is a Joint Security Area (JSA) which serves as a meeting point for both sides. Weapons are not allowed in the area, this is where negotiations take place. There’s a “truce village” here called Panmunjom which houses soldiers from the JSA. People can visit the DMZ from both sides but it is more common to see tourists on the South Korean side.You can tour the JSA, the Military Armistice Commission Conference Room, and take photos. While visiting from the North is formal and serious, visiting from the South is very tourist-like with guided tours and even hikes with defectors from North Korea.
