Korea Diary | Crossing Borders (Day 41, Part 1)
The final Yonsei organized one-day field trip was to visit the DMZ area. As with the previous trips, everyone had to get up early in order to be bussed to the destination. The air this time was a little heavier since we were going closer to the border. The bus made several stops in order for the soldiers to check and approve of our entering. It was surreal to see all the Caution! signs which indicated of possible land mines outside.
Our tour couldn't bring us to the actual bordering lines. We were brought to the next closest stop where most other tourists go instead. This stop had a small museum and observatory deck. The speckles of structures way beyond the trees in the foreground were considered North Korean territory.
Afterwards, our guide took us into one of the discovered tunnels that North Koreans had dug out many years ago. Phones and recording devices weren't allowed inside. From my memory, it was shocking to see and be in such a large tunnel. To think if went undiscovered it was a discrete passage from the North to South.
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The next stop on the itinerary was to a potential North-South interconnected railroad station. Before the war and the creation of the DMZ, (if I remember correctly) there was a railway that ran from the North Korean area to Seoul and beyond. When times became more hostile it was officially stopped and now closed off to be a museum/attraction of sorts.
Our final stop on the tour was a food stop. A tofu themed meal was waiting for us at Dukongso 豆콩소. This may have been the fanciest meal we had in Korea. Everything was perfectly presented and most items were served in single bite servings. While everything we were given tasted very light and flavorful, most of my friends and I left wishing for more food to eat. As this was a part of our tour, I am not sure how a typical set meal at Dukongso would have been like.
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