After a clear and cool early morning hotel pickup, my Wife and son were on our way to the DMZ. After about one hour, we were at the main DMZ centre, where there was a ticket booth, food court, Imjingak Park, and the Bridge of Freedom.

Please note that passports are required and checked by military personnel to enter and exit the DMZ.

Imjingak Park and The Bridge of Freedom:

Imjingak Park is a park that honors the 10 million South Koreans who were separated from their families after the Korean War.

The bridge was originally a pair of railroad bridges destroyed during the war. After the signing of the Armistice Agreement in 1953, a temporary wooden bridge was built to exchange prisoners of war. The bridge was named the Bridge of Freedom after 12,773 Korean and UN prisoners returned to South Korea through it.

3rd Infiltration Tunnel:

Only 44 km from Seoul, the incomplete tunnel was discovered in October 1978 following the detection of an underground explosion in June 1978, apparently caused by the tunnellers who had progressed 435 metres under the south side of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It took four months to locate the tunnel and dig an intercept tunnel. The incomplete tunnel is 1,635 metres long, 1.95 m at its maximum height, with an average of 1.67 metres, and 2.1 m wide. It runs through bedrock at a depth of about 73 metre  below ground. The tunnel was designed for a surprise attack on Seoul from North Korea, of which 30,000 men per hour could pass through with light weaponry. The South Korean military then built a small interception tunnel, of which a larger one established by the Korean Government is now available to tourists. I must say that the 300-metre 11% incline needed to walk out of the interception tunnel was an excellent 15-minute stair-stepper-like workout. The temperature inside the tunnel was always 16 degrees Celsius. Please note that photos are not allowed to be taken within the tunnel.

Dora DMZ Observatory:

Dora Observatory is on the South Korean side of the 38th parallel. It is situated on top of Dorasan (Mount Dora) and provides scenic views across the Demilitarized Zone. Visitors can see the North Korean territory through binoculars from the 304-square-foot, 500-person observatory on the third floor, which was closed for our visit due to recent trash bombs launched by North Korea.

Slideshow Video (16 images)