Korea and the DMZ

Jim was very excited with today’s adventure. We docked in Inchon, the site of General McArthur’s landing during the Korean War. It was a particularly foggy arrival. 

From there we traveled a little over an hour to the Demilitarized Zone, the 155 mile corridor which divides Korea east to west. It’s a bit spooky to be in an area that you’ve seen in the news all of your life. The barbed wire and manned fortifications are all too real.

After going through a military checkpoint, we went down into the Third Tunnel. There are four known tunnels dug by the North Koreans that extend into South Korea. The Third Tunnel is deep and wide enough to move a full division of troops and weapons in one hour. These tunnels were discovered in the 1960s and 1970s.  We were not allowed to take many pictures, but you can see from one we did get that the area around the tunnel site is mined. You don’t do any strolling or exploring.

We made a quick lunch stop in Seoul, enjoying traditional Korean food. Out of all the countries we have ever visited, I’ve never seen people who openly like Americans and the United States and appreciate our contribution to their freedom more than the South Koreans. It was a great stop.