Too early a start this morning. Dissapointingly discovered that I had no hot water.. a similar problem happened to me on my first night at the hotel. Because of the early hour, reception wasn’t manned so i just had to build my bridge and miss out on a hot shower!

Spent the day doing a DMZ tour. Quite different to the last time I went to the DMZ. The previous time i had gone as a guest of the US millitary and we therefore went with UN troops. This time around I went on a commercial tour and we did some basic touristy stuff. I didn’t have the time today to do the full tour again.. the full tour is far better than the half day “have a look at the border” tour.

I chose this tour as it went to something called the “Third Infiltration Tunnel”. This is a tunnel built by the N koreans to help for an invasion. It was discovered by the S Koreans in the late 70s and was turned into a tourist attraction years later. The tunnel is about 70m below ground and to get into the tunnel you descend a very steep slope for about 350m. Travelling down was a piece of cake and the tunnel itself was quite interesting. I reckon you could fit two soldiers abressed in the tunnel but geez she would be a pretty ordinary invasion.. troops only. Most of the way I had to bend over so unless you are really short (and honestly most Korean people are about my height) the troops would have to be bent over for however many kms they were going to build the tunnel for. The DMZ is almost 50km from the heart of Seoul so I guess you’d only have to have a tunnel that went maybe 5-8k or so before you hit the outskirts of the city!

The tunnel was discovered by the S Koreans by a N Korean defector who was helping to survey and oversee construction. 4 tunnels have been discovered by the S Korean army.. supposedly there could be as many as 25 tunnels dug underneath the DMZ.. I guess if they ever invade we might find out!

All in all the tour itself was ok and was worth the 40 dollars I paid but wouldn’t recommend it if it is your first time to the DMZ.. I would spend the 100 go all day and get right into the action.. We didn’t even see any AKAs or tanks… very disappointing!!!! 

The philosophies and policies have changed in regards to the DMZ. Last time I was here Kim Dae Jung had been in power about 3 years and was working on his “Sunshine” policy (referring to improving relations with the north). During his time as president he encouraged growth and prosperity with the North. There have been heaps of changes since last I was here.
Firstly, he installed a rail line into the North (the last station is within the DMZ itself!). He built a factory in the North (about 1km over the border with the south). This factory produces textile goods. The south provides the resources and the north the cheap labour. To make the factory viable they installed power lines (and provide the power to run the factory), roads, all infrustructure needed to get a factory going.

Kim Dae Jung left office in the mid 2000s (and has since passed away). He was replaced by a consertive president who immediately started to stop some of the sunshine policies. The factory is still there and is still operational (still resourced from the south). But the rail line, import customs house, warehouses etc are no longer operational and obviously tensions have increased (to the point where the north sent a missile to the south last year and killed civilians and soliders). I would estimate that S Korea must have invested probably close to a billion (if not more) to improve relations and in less than 5 yrs all of that work has gone backwards… Interesting to see what a change in the political leadership can make!

Sitting in the airport this evening writing my blog I’m a little melancholy. S Korea has changed quite a bit since last I was here.. Subtle yet noticeably… the airport for one is now a mecca (it would be rivalling some of the big ones in the world).. the subway has been upgraded.. and the DMZ itself is now a major tourist attraction (apparently at least 2000 people a day enter the DMZ for tourist reasons)… All in all Korea has become a lot more commercialised and westernised than I remember… You can still get your kimchi and pulgolgi but you can equally buy a Starbucks coffee on every street corner.. I’m glad I’ve returned (and I’m sure I’ll return again) but I’m equally glad to go and find the new emerging Asian country of China and hope that I can recapture some of that “backstreet, quaint asia” that i’ve missed here in Korea.