This past weekend I signed up for an
English guided tour to the DMZ.
We had to meet at Lotte Hotel in Seoul (Euljiro-1 subway station -- line 2 -- exit 8) at 8:00am. Since I was coming from Gangnam Station, it took me about 35 minutes to get to Euljiro station and then another 15 minutes to get to the hotel. Once in the hotel, finding the right elevator was stressful since not all the elevators went to the 6th floor (where the DMZ tour office was). I was able to make it to the bus at exactly the departing time: 8:30am. I realized then why they encouraged everyone to arrive at 8:00am.
To get to Lotte Hotel from Gangnam Station, the subway fare cost me 1100 won, I think. Once you exit the subway station, the hotel is to your left, If you enter from the center doors, the elevators will be straight and to the right. They will take you up to the 6th floor where you will go left down the hallway. There should be alot of people walking in that direction as well. When you arrive at their office, you will need to show them your passport and pay the tour cost (if you didn't pay in advance). They will give you a receipt with your bus number and seat number. Don't lose that receipt.
This is the tour company I signed up with: http://www.tourdmz.com/english/main.php
They offer English, Japanese, and Korean tours of the DMZ. You can tour just the 3rd Tunnel, which allows you to walk through one of the underground tunnels that North Korea dug trying to get to Seoul. You can also tour just Panmunjom, the only place where the North and South can meet and have talks. There is also a DMZ Fence tour they offer, "The tour will take you to the northernmost part of the DMZ in South Korea, so you can observe up close the barricade set up along the Southern MDL, where the GOP forces are standing on guard."
I signed up for the combined tour: 3rd Tunnel & Panmunjom, which costs 120,000 won per person and includes transportation and lunch. The single destination tours cost 66,000-80,000 won depending which one you sign up for.
The 3rd tunnel & Panmunjom tour is conducted every day except for Mondays and holidays. Here is a schedule for the tour:
~ 08:30 | Depart from Hotel Lotte |
08:30 ~ 09:30 | Move to Destination (Freedom Highway) |
09:30 ~ 10:00 | Tour of Freedom Bridge in Imjingak Park |
10:00 ~ 10:10 | Pass through Unification Bridge (Passport Check) |
10:10 ~ 11:10 | Tour of 3rd Tunnel (Monorail) / DMZ Exhibition |
11:10 ~ 11:40 | Tour of Dora Observatory |
11:40 ~ 12:10 | Tour of Dorasan Station |
12:10 ~ 12:30 | Tour of Unification Village (in the Bus) |
12:30 ~ 13:40 | Lunch (Bulgogi) |
13:40 ~ 14:00 | Pass through Unification Bridge |
14:00 ~ 14:15 | Arrive at Camp Bonifas |
14:15 ~ 14:50 | Slide show on JSA |
14:50 ~ 16:50
| JSA Tour
(UN Command Advance Camp - Freedom House - Conference Room - Military Demarcation Line(MDL) - 3rd Sentry Post - Bridge of No Return-Site of Axe Murder Incident) |
16:50 | Leave for Seoul |
17:50 | Arrival in Seoul |
THE 3rd TUNNEL
I really enjoyed the combined tour. We went to the 3rd Tunnel tour first. You have to put your stuff in a locker and wear a helmet before boarding the "monorail" that takes you 300m down the tunnel. Once inside, water is dripping everywhere and you have to bend over a little bit to avoid hitting your head on the "roof". It is really amazing to see how long the tunnel was. You only get to see the South Korean part of the tunnel. The tunnel ends when you get to the border because North Korea destroyed their end of the tunnel when South Korea found it. You will also see the walls are painted black because North Korea claimed they were mining. The tunnel is actually composed of granite and impossible to be considered for mining. You can't take pictures inside.
After exiting the tunnel and getting your stuff, you will get to watch a movie (a pointless and boring one) and then have 20 minutes to do what you want. There is an exhibition that I recommend going, it is really informative and they have a model of the DMZ area.
The DORA OBSERVATORY
The next stop was the Dora Observatory. This was a silly place. They marked specifically where you can stand to take pictures, but there were so many people on tour I wasn't able to get any good ones. It is at this observatory where you can actually seen South Korea and North Korea. You can see North Korean cities and people and the differences in environment. For 500 won you can use the stationary viewers to get a close up look at the buildings in North Korea. It is worth it to me to pay it and have a look. Inside the building, there is not much to see. There is another model of the DMZ area and a description of the buildings you are looking at.
DORASAN STATION
This is another silly place. It is a train station that doesn't really operate. I think it used to once or it was built in hopes of one day connecting the North and the South. Inside the building, you can pay 500 won to walk onto the platform where the train would arrive and you can walk along the train tracks and take pictures. It is fairly empty but George W. Bush visited, so I guess it's a big deal.
LUNCH
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After Dorasan Station, we had bulgogi at a traditional Korean restaurant where you sit on the floor and have many side dishes. It was so delicious!! Korean food is something I haven't tired of after 8 months of living here. ![]()
IMJINGAK PARK
This is where you will change buses if you signed up for a combination tour. If you didn't sign up for a combination tour, they you won't have much time to see Imjingak. This is where the tour got really great. The site seeing here is amazing and the park is huge. Everything is free.You can walk the Freedom Bridge, the same one the North Koreans walked to get into the South. There is also an observatory you can go up to for free and look around.
Because this was mainly a change-buses-stop we didn't have much time to see everything. I had to run around and still didn't get to experience everything this place had to offer. I plan on returning on my own (and for much cheaper) later.
PANMUNJOM
This is the most exciting part of the tour! To actually step onto the North Korean side and see ROK soldiers and North Korean soldiers was quite an experience. As you can see from the picture above, the distinct line where South Korea ends and North Korea begins.
An interesting fact: if a tour is conducted in the rain, the people on the South Korean side are not allowed to have umbrellas. We also cannot wave or gesture to the North Korean side, because then the North Koreans can accuse us of propaganda. But, North Koreans can gesture and carry umbrellas even in the sun. It is so North Korea would seem more generous to its people than the South. "Oh look, it is raining but they aren't even allowed to have umbrellas! And look how unhappy they are, unable to wave or smile!"
Another interesting fact: The top floor of the North Korean building in the picture was added later because the building on the South became taller than theirs. So they decided to add another floor; now their building is taller.
In the picture below, the 3 black objects on the table are microphones that North Korea uses to listen to us. The ROK soldier standing at the end of the table has to stand like that, immovable. You can take pictures with him, but you cannot touch him or walk behind or in front of him. Nothing to interfere with his duty. From this building you can take pictures inside and out the windows. On the right side of the table, is the North Korean side. On the left side of the table is the South Korean side.
After this stop we headed to the bus and were taken to the sight of the famous Axe murder incident where some UN officials had gone to trim a tree and were attacked and killed by North Koreans. The tree is no longer there, but a memorial plaque is in its place.
You will also get to visit a gift shop before heading back to the Lotte Hotel in Seoul.
Overall, I really enjoyed the combination tour. I was really tired at the end of it and fell asleep on the bus ride back into Seoul. If you don't have the money or the time to go on the combination tour, I strongly recommend going on the Panmunjom tour. It was my favorite part and the most informative. Imjingak is also a great place to visit and you don't need to sign up for a tour to visit.
The only thing I was saddened by was the limited photography. It's not the tour company's fault, it is just the rules.
