DMZ, Dora - South Korea

The Line of No Return


Military time off
South Korean soldiers visiting the Dore DMZ photograph themselves.
At the wheel
Bus driver at Dore military complex.
Dorasan's recent history
Electronic panel depicts Dorasan station's recent past.
camouflaged concrete
Camouflaged building next to the Korean demilitarized military zone in Dore.
observation tower
Military personnel control the movements of the North Korean army beyond the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas
painted train
A painting exhibited at Dorasan Railway Station shows a composition that runs along a railway line connecting Seoul to PyongYang.
binocular line
Binoculars placed to allow visitors to observe the Demilitarized Zone and North Korea.
visiting soldiers
South Korean military scrutinize North Korea's border line.
Military Visit
Woman leaves a Dore observation platform that is handed over to the military.
photo line
South Korean soldiers cross the line to where visitors can photograph in Dore, South Korea.
dream train line
A panel at Dorasan train station, which once linked the two Koreas but remains unconnected to North Korea
George bush jr
Photograph exhibited in Dorasan, shows the presence of former President Bush at this train station.
Korean War Memorial and Museum
Military silhouettes at the Korean War Memorial and Museum in Seoul.
War memories
Military man observes a reenactment of the Korean War Memorial and Museum.
A nation and thousands of families were divided by the armistice in the Korean War. Today, as curious tourists visit the DMZ, many of the escapes of the oppressed North Koreans end in tragedy.

On the fringes of Korean relaxation, lively nightlife and the capital's growing sophistication, there is a military atmosphere in Seoul that is hard to escape.

Poorly camouflaged in the urban environment, South Korean and American soldiers appear all over the place and concentrate on the vast Korean War Memorial, where they discover the past of the conflict to which they were handed over and photograph themselves between planes, helicopters and decommissioned tanks.

Korean War Memorial and Museum, South Korea, No Return Line

Military silhouettes at the Korean War Memorial and Museum in Seoul.

Even if symptomatic, this light activity says little about the old confrontation between the Koreas that tore apart the original country and prolongs and threatens to annihilate the artificial nations that are left of it.

Sheung Lee and Alex. The Providential Hosts of Seoul

Sheung Lee, our hostess in Seoul works at a publishing house until late. He arrives home on his knees and has no time or patience for great tips.

Alex, a polite Singaporean friend of hers, visits her frequently. In a room filled with Winnie The Pooh stickers, she lectures on the strongest South Korean themes – from the “miraculous” kale kimchi to the popular surgeries that Korean women use to enlarge and westernize their eyelids.

He also makes a point of explaining to us in detail what we cannot miss in the city. Sheung Lee listens from the living room and can't resist participating, despite the dark circles under her eyes and other signs of exhaustion: “And the DMZ, Alex, you're forgetting about the DMZ. They're leaving early tomorrow morning. There's even more fun after the War Memorial.”

Korean War Memorial and Museum, South Korea, No Return Line

Military man observes a reenactment of the Korean War Memorial and Museum.

That's how many young South Koreans end up talking about the place. Like an aberrant attraction. A kind of military theme park that, despite being able to dictate their lives for better or worse, should not be taken too seriously.

There was no reason to distrust the spontaneous advice of a native. So, in the following morning, we got, still sleepy, on the bus that was carrying the visit. In three times, we left the center of Seoul towards the north and the famous 38th parallel.

camouflaged concreteThe Genesis of the DMZ in the Edges of the Cold War

Shortly before the end of World War II, Korea was still occupied by the Japanese invader who increased the power of the imperial army by resorting to forced recruitment of Koreans.

So much so that, in January 1945, Koreans represented 32% of the Japanese labor force. In August of that year, the two atomic bombs dropped by USA about Hiroshima and Nagasaki hastened the capitulation of the aggressors and the end of the conflict.

At the Potsdam Conference, under pressure from the new Soviet threat, the Allies deliberated to divide the peninsula. Against what had been established at the Cairo Conference, they did so without consulting the Koreans.

At the end of 1945, after several political-military episodes, the US and the Soviet Union already shared the administration of Korea. This intrusion led to frequent Korean uprisings.

The process ended with the political division of the country into two rival zones separated by Parallel 38. One, to the north, communist, validated by the Soviets and by the China. And another, to the south, nationalist, defended by the US

North Korean leader Kim Il-sung's plans to invade the south forced the United States to once again mobilize pan-world allied forces to halt the spread of the communist sphere. The Korean War broke out.

Binoculars, South Korea, Line of no return

Binoculars placed to allow visitors to observe the Demilitarized Zone and North Korea.

The Advance and Retreat that Divided the Koreas over the 38th Parallel

From June 1950 until 1953, both sides advanced and retreated above and below the 38th Parallel. And, irony of ironies, after the long and destructive conflict, once the armistice had been decreed, they were very close to their original positions.

North Korea (DPRK) and South Korea (RC) were then renewed, separated by a Korean DMZ, a nobody's territory between two heavily militarized borders.

We stopped for the first time at the third of four infiltration tunnels excavated by North Korea which, when faced with its discovery from the south, claimed to be used for extracting coal, despite the fact that there is no coal there.

As we move through the semi-darkness of the interior, we are amused by the eccentric guide's explanation that the black stains we see on the walls were also the work of the North Koreans who dyed the excavated granite in order to illustrate the theory.

Dorasan. The Railway Station from Que Nem o Sonho Departed

This is followed by a passage through the Dorasan train station that once linked the north to the south but was deactivated when the North Koreans closed that border after accusing the south of fueling a confrontational policy.

George Bush Jr, DMZ, South Korea, No Return Line

Photograph exhibited in Dorasan, shows the presence of former President Bush at this train station.

Among the images displayed, there are those of a visibly intrigued President Bush's visit. And, above all, that of a graphic and color panel that exposes railway lines Asian and European departing from that station and the Korean Peninsula.

It's a dream that South Korea still harbors, even though the pride of the communist regime continues to bar its land connections.

Railway line never completed, South Korea, Line of no return

A panel at Dorasan train station, which once linked the two Koreas but remains unconnected to North Korea

Dora and the Foggy Glimpse of North Korea

The last stop on the visit to the DMZ is next to the Dora observatory, one of the numerous points from which the South Korean army controls events in the north.

The military dominates the place. The military and civilians present are dedicated to spying on North Korea through the installed monocles. At this point, a strong fog reveals only the gigantic pole (the third largest in the world at 160m) from which a North Korean flag flies which we are told weighs about 270 kg.

DMZ, South Korea, Line of no return

South Korean military scrutinize North Korea's border line.

There are also railings and distant walls. And buildings lost in a brown expanse, dry and inhospitable.

These are the architectural ghosts of Kijong-do, a North Korean village of peace or propaganda, as the South prefers to call it.

DMZ, South Korea, Line of no return

Military personnel control the movements of the North Korean army beyond the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas

The Mysterious Mirage of Kijong-do

The North Korean regime ensures that the village houses a communal farm run by two hundred families. And which is served by a nursery, primary and secondary school and a hospital.

Careful observation from the South Korean border allowed us to conclude that it was, in fact, a Potemkin village built in 1950 at great cost with the real purpose of encouraging the defection of the South Koreans to the north.

And to house the soldiers who ensure the vast defensive artillery network of fortifications and bunkers along the border. It is, in fact, the only North Korean settlement detectable from the south of the DMZ.

As if the poor visibility were not enough, it is forbidden to photograph or film in front of a Photo Line set back from the threshold of the platform, painted in yellow on the ground.

This limitation prevents visitors from making any record of what is on the other side.

Photo line, DMZ, South Korea, No return line

South Korean soldiers cross the line to where visitors can photograph in Dora, South Korea.

Due to the apparent lack of alternatives, we submit to the regulations, but a young couple decides to improvise. She climbs onto her boyfriend's piggyback. Positioned much higher up against the wall, it points a compact machine to the north and starts firing.

For a moment, the boldness amuses the South Korean soldiers on guard who, of course, have witnessed it before. Soon, they comply with their instructions and force the couple first to undo the stunt, then to delete the photos.

From there, any passage north would be final. Or, at the very least, extremely problematic.

This was proved by two American journalists captured by North Korea and saved only because of dictator King Jong Il's admiration for the former president Bill Clinton.

Military

Defenders of Their Homelands

Even in times of peace, we detect military personnel everywhere. On duty, in cities, they fulfill routine missions that require rigor and patience.
Hue, Vietnam

The Red Heritage of Imperial Vietnam

It suffered the worst hardships of the Vietnam War and was despised by the Vietcong due to the feudal past. The national-communist flags fly over its walls but Hué regains its splendor.
Taiwan

Formosa but Unsafe

Portuguese navigators could not imagine the imbroglio reserved for the Formosa they baptized. Nearly 500 years later, even though it is uncertain of its future, Taiwan still prospers. Somewhere between independence and integration in greater China.
Saint John of Acre, Israel

The Fortress That Withstood Everything

It was a frequent target of the Crusades and taken over and over again. Today, Israeli, Acre is shared by Arabs and Jews. He lives much more peaceful and stable times than the ones he went through.
Dooars India

At the Gates of the Himalayas

We arrived at the northern threshold of West Bengal. The subcontinent gives way to a vast alluvial plain filled with tea plantations, jungle, rivers that the monsoon overflows over endless rice fields and villages bursting at the seams. On the verge of the greatest of the mountain ranges and the mountainous kingdom of Bhutan, for obvious British colonial influence, India treats this stunning region by Dooars.
Dawki, India

Dawki, Dawki, Bangladesh on sight

We descended from the high and mountainous lands of Meghalaya to the flats to the south and below. There, the translucent and green stream of the Dawki forms the border between India and Bangladesh. In a damp heat that we haven't felt for a long time, the river also attracts hundreds of Indians and Bangladeshis in a picturesque escape.
Harare, Zimbabwewe

The Last Rales of Surreal Mugabué

In 2015, Zimbabwe's first lady Grace Mugabe said the 91-year-old president would rule until the age of 100 in a special wheelchair. Shortly thereafter, it began to insinuate itself into his succession. But in recent days, the generals have finally precipitated the removal of Robert Mugabe, who has replaced him with former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Alone, South Korea

A Glimpse of Medieval Korea

Gyeongbokgung Palace stands guarded by guardians in silken robes. Together they form a symbol of South Korean identity. Without waiting for it, we ended up finding ourselves in the imperial era of these Asian places.
Tawang, India

The Mystic Valley of Deep Discord

On the northern edge of the Indian province of Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang is home to dramatic mountain scenery, ethnic Mompa villages and majestic Buddhist monasteries. Even if Chinese rivals have not passed him since 1962, Beijing look at this domain as part of your Tibet. Accordingly, religiosity and spiritualism there have long shared with a strong militarism.
Hiroshima, Japan

Hiroshima: a City Yielded to Peace

On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima succumbed to the explosion of the first atomic bomb used in war. 70 years later, the city fights for the memory of the tragedy and for nuclear weapons to be eradicated by 2020.
Residents walk along the trail that runs through plantations above the UP4
City
Gurué, Mozambique, Part 1

Through the Mozambican Lands of Tea

The Portuguese founded Gurué in the 1930th century and, from XNUMX onwards, flooded it with camellia sinensis the foothills of the Namuli Mountains. Later, they renamed it Vila Junqueiro, in honor of its main promoter. With the independence of Mozambique and the civil war, the town regressed. It continues to stand out for the lush green imposing mountains and teak landscapes.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beaches
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
A campfire lights up and warms the night, next to Reilly's Rock Hilltop Lodge,
safari
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Eswatini

The Fire That Revived eSwatini's Wildlife

By the middle of the last century, overhunting was wiping out much of the kingdom of Swaziland’s wildlife. Ted Reilly, the son of the pioneer settler who owned Mlilwane, took action. In 1961, he created the first protected area of ​​the Big Game Parks he later founded. He also preserved the Swazi term for the small fires that lightning has long caused.
Prayer flags in Ghyaru, Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 4th – Upper Banana to Ngawal, Nepal

From Nightmare to Dazzle

Unbeknownst to us, we are faced with an ascent that leads us to despair. We pulled our strength as far as possible and reached Ghyaru where we felt closer than ever to the Annapurnas. The rest of the way to Ngawal felt like a kind of extension of the reward.
Engravings, Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt
Architecture & Design
luxor, Egypt

From Luxor to Thebes: Journey to Ancient Egypt

Thebes was raised as the new supreme capital of the Egyptian Empire, the seat of Amon, the God of Gods. Modern Luxor inherited the Temple of Karnak and its sumptuousness. Between one and the other flow the sacred Nile and millennia of dazzling history.
Full Dog Mushing
Aventura
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.
Parade and Pomp
Ceremonies and Festivities
Saint Petersburg, Russia

When the Russian Navy Stations in Saint Petersburg

Russia dedicates the last Sunday of July to its naval forces. On that day, a crowd visits large boats moored on the Neva River as alcohol-drenched sailors seize the city.
Frederikstad-Saint-Croix-American-Virgin-Islands-Freedom
Cities
Frederiksted, Saint Cross, US Virgin Islands

The Emancipation City of the Danish West Indies

If Christiansted established itself as the capital and main commercial center of the island of Saint Croix, the “sister” of the leeward side, Frederiksted had its civilizational apogee when there was the revolt and subsequent liberation of the slaves that ensured the colony's prosperity.
Cocoa, Chocolate, Sao Tome Principe, Agua Izé farm
Lunch time
São Tomé and Principe

Cocoa Roças, Corallo and the Chocolate Factory

At the beginning of the century. In the XNUMXth century, São Tomé and Príncipe generated more cocoa than any other territory. Thanks to the dedication of some entrepreneurs, production survives and the two islands taste like the best chocolate.
Conversation between photocopies, Inari, Babel Parliament of the Sami Lapland Nation, Finland
Culture
Inari, Finland

The Babel Parliament of the Sami Nation

The Sami Nation comprises four countries, which ingest into the lives of their peoples. In the parliament of Inari, in various dialects, the Sami govern themselves as they can.
Reindeer Racing, Kings Cup, Inari, Finland
Sport
Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

Finland's Lapps have been competing in the tow of their reindeer for centuries. In the final of the Kings Cup - Porokuninkuusajot - , they face each other at great speed, well above the Arctic Circle and well below zero.
Tokyo's sophisticated houses, where Couchsurfing and your hosts abound.
Traveling
Couchsurfing (Part 1)

Mi Casa, Su Casa

In 2003, a new online community globalized an old landscape of hospitality, conviviality and interests. Today, Couchsurfing welcomes millions of travelers, but it shouldn't be taken lightly.
Islamic silhouettes
Ethnic

Istanbul, Turkey

Where East meets West, Turkey Seeks its Way

An emblematic and grandiose metropolis, Istanbul lives at a crossroads. As Turkey in general, divided between secularism and Islam, tradition and modernity, it still doesn't know which way to go

ice tunnel, black gold route, Valdez, Alaska, USA
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

Sensations vs Impressions

Ruins, Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia
History
Discovering Tassie, Part 2 - Hobart to Port Arthur, Australia

An Island Doomed to Crime

The prison complex at Port Arthur has always frightened the British outcasts. 90 years after its closure, a heinous crime committed there forced Tasmania to return to its darkest times.
small browser
Islands
Honiara e Gizo, Solomon Islands

The Profaned Temple of the Solomon Islands

A Spanish navigator baptized them, eager for riches like those of the biblical king. Ravaged by World War II, conflicts and natural disasters, the Solomon Islands are far from prosperity.
Correspondence verification
Winter White
Rovaniemi, Finland

From the Finnish Lapland to the Arctic. A Visit to the Land of Santa

Fed up with waiting for the bearded old man to descend down the chimney, we reverse the story. We took advantage of a trip to Finnish Lapland and passed through its furtive home.
Baie d'Oro, Île des Pins, New Caledonia
Literature
Île-des-Pins, New Caledonia

The Island that Leaned against Paradise

In 1964, Katsura Morimura delighted the Japan with a turquoise novel set in Ouvéa. But the neighboring Île-des-Pins has taken over the title "The Nearest Island to Paradise" and thrills its visitors.
VIP lights
Nature
Moyo Island, Indonesia

Moyo: An Indonesian Island Just for a Few

Few people know or have had the privilege of exploring the Moyo nature reserve. One of them was Princess Diana who, in 1993, took refuge there from the media oppression that would later victimize her.
Girl plays with leaves on the shore of the Great Lake at Catherine Palace
Autumn
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Golden Days Before the Storm

Aside from the political and military events precipitated by Russia, from mid-September onwards, autumn takes over the country. In previous years, when visiting Saint Petersburg, we witnessed how the cultural and northern capital was covered in a resplendent yellow-orange. A dazzling light that hardly matches the political and military gloom that had spread in the meantime.
Merida to Los Nevados borders of the Andes, Venezuela
Natural Parks
Mérida, Venezuela

Merida to Los Nevados: in the Andean Ends of Venezuela

In the 40s and 50s, Venezuela attracted 400 Portuguese but only half stayed in Caracas. In Mérida, we find places more similar to the origins and the eccentric ice cream parlor of an immigrant portista.
São Miguel Island, Dazzling Colors by Nature
UNESCO World Heritage
São Miguel, Azores

São Miguel Island: Stunning Azores, By Nature

An immaculate biosphere that the Earth's entrails mold and soften is displayed, in São Miguel, in a panoramic format. São Miguel is the largest of the Portuguese islands. And it is a work of art of Nature and Man in the middle of the North Atlantic planted.
now from above ladder, sorcerer of new zealand, Christchurch, new zealand
Characters
Christchurch, New Zealand

New Zealand's Cursed Wizard

Despite his notoriety in the antipodes, Ian Channell, the New Zealand sorcerer, failed to predict or prevent several earthquakes that struck Christchurch. At the age of 88, after 23 years of contract with the city, he made very controversial statements and ended up fired.
Jabula Beach, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
Beaches
Saint Lucia, South Africa

An Africa as Wild as Zulu

On the eminence of the coast of Mozambique, the province of KwaZulu-Natal is home to an unexpected South Africa. Deserted beaches full of dunes, vast estuarine swamps and hills covered with fog fill this wild land also bathed by the Indian Ocean. It is shared by the subjects of the always proud Zulu nation and one of the most prolific and diverse fauna on the African continent.
Motorcyclist in Sela Gorge, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Religion
Guwahati a Saddle Pass, India

A Worldly Journey to the Sacred Canyon of Sela

For 25 hours, we traveled the NH13, one of the highest and most dangerous roads in India. We traveled from the Brahmaputra river basin to the disputed Himalayas of the province of Arunachal Pradesh. In this article, we describe the stretch up to 4170 m of altitude of the Sela Pass that pointed us to the Tibetan Buddhist city of Tawang.
Train Kuranda train, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
On Rails
Cairns-Kuranda, Australia

Train to the Middle of the Jungle

Built out of Cairns to save miners isolated in the rainforest from starvation by flooding, the Kuranda Railway eventually became the livelihood of hundreds of alternative Aussies.
mini-snorkeling
Society
Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

Back to Danny Boyle's The Beach

It's been 15 years since the debut of the backpacker classic based on the novel by Alex Garland. The film popularized the places where it was shot. Shortly thereafter, the XNUMX tsunami literally washed some away off the map. Today, their controversial fame remains intact.
Ditching, Alaska Fashion Life, Talkeetna
Daily life
Talkeetna, Alaska

Talkeetna's Alaska-Style Life

Once a mere mining outpost, Talkeetna rejuvenated in 1950 to serve Mt. McKinley climbers. The town is by far the most alternative and most captivating town between Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Crocodiles, Queensland Tropical Australia Wild
Wildlife
Cairns to Cape Tribulation, Australia

Tropical Queensland: An Australia Too Wild

Cyclones and floods are just the meteorological expression of Queensland's tropical harshness. When it's not the weather, it's the deadly fauna of the region that keeps its inhabitants on their toes.
Napali Coast and Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii Wrinkles
Scenic Flights
napali coast, Hawaii

Hawaii's Dazzling Wrinkles

Kauai is the greenest and rainiest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is also the oldest. As we explore its Napalo Coast by land, sea and air, we are amazed to see how the passage of millennia has only favored it.