DMZ

This last week has been quite ordinary which means I have settled into some manageable routine. Classes continue to be fun and I found myself using some Korean I have learned to help strangers get on the right subway line, bus and places to eat. I am far from passing as a native Korean speaker but am enjoying the fact that I can be more participative with my surroundings.

The one highlight for the week was visiting the border between North and South Korea a.k.a. the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Being the most heavily guarded border in the world, most of the tour was done by bus with a few stops to get out to take pictures and visit the gift shop. I am still reflecting on my visit so rather than write some semi-processed gibberish I will just post my pics:

South Korean soldier on guard


North Korean soldier on guard


Inside the UN Joint Security Area meeting room, the three microphones on the table represent the N/S Korean border which means I was in North Korea while taking this photo.


Propaganda Village: North Korea built a modern looking village on the border in hopes of fooling tourists into thinking they were better off than they actually were. No one actually lived in this village until about 2004. The village is complete with a 160 meter flag pole (center), the tallest flagpole in the world.