DMZ Tour
March 15, 2010On Sunday the I-LEAD class was able to take a trip to the DMZ between North and South Korea. It was quite an experience to be informed that our bus had just passed under a tank trap as we headed up the highway out of Seoul. The tank traps are billboards over the highway that are fully loaded with dynamite that could be detonated at a moment’s notice to block the road and limit traffic access into Seoul.
The DMZ encompasses 4 kilometers of demilitarized space between North and South Korea. Despite the cease-fire in the 1950s, North Korea still made attempts to cross the DMZ in underground tunnels. The tunnels we toured were small and cramped but able to send more than 30,000 troops per hour to Seoul. Four of those tunnels have been found to date, with the most recent discovered in 1990. Our entire group trekked down through one of the tunnels, which turned out to be quite a workout, but well worth the effort!
We also visited the northernmost observation point where we could see North Korea and look at the guard towers and Propoganda Village.
We ended the day by returning to Seoul and touring one of the city’s busy shopping districts and market areas.
Watch for more updates soon!
I-LEAD Class IV
