Korean DMZ
 

So I took a trip to the Korean De-Militarized Zone yesterday. Quite interesting... it snowed about 5" the night before and the whole way there and back. though while we were there... it was just COLD.

anyways... here's some pics.

if you wanna know more about the Korean DMZ... go here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_DMZ

This is the Bell of Hope... it represents the hope that one day North and South Korea will be reunited.
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First shot's of North Korea

Notice there are no trees. it is because they are in such a harsh economic situation that they use all the trees for firewood as they don't have electricity in most locations (and at night only the capitol gets power) or Oil to heat.
These buildings were built as propaganda for the North against the south... they are large buildings meant to look like wealthy homes... in reality... most are empty and the buildings are very poorly constructed. some aren't even finished... (they were built 10+ years ago)

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Next I went to Panmunjeom. it's only 800 meters in diameter and designated as the JSA (Joint Security Area) between the U.N. and North Korea. it is outside administrative control of both North and South Korea. The U.N. and North Korean sides each operate 6 guard posts and 35 security guards reside inside. Since the ax murder incident on 18 August 1976, by North Korean Soldiers, security guards are forbidden to cross over the opposing side's area.

in this photo... the South Korean soldier(as well as myself taking the picture) is standing in both North and South Korea (his left foot in North Korea, and his Right in South). the table in front of him is where talks between the U.N. and North Korea take place.
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This Soldier is standing guard for our(the tourists) protection. he is standing at a Tae Kwan Do modified ready position. Dude was a hard ass... not one flinch for the 20 mins we were in front of him...

While taking the pictures of him... I was standing in North Korea.
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Back outside I get my first shots of the Enemy... a North Korean Soldier
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The line between the buildings half way between the two streets is the Military Demarcation Line. it separates North Korea from South. it's what I was straddling in the building to the left in previous photos.

Up until the ax murder incident in 1976, there was no line and north korean soldiers and U.N. (usually US forces) intermingled. the North Koreans would spit on the US troops, stomp on their toes, anything to try and get them to retaliate. since that incident... the two sides are forbidden from crossing to the other side. The soldier off to the right is standing with half his body behind the building in cover. just in case he is fired upon.
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This is my favorite photo of the trip.
A south Korean soldier in the fore ground... with a North Korean in the back ground
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our next stop was down to the observation post overlooking the "bridge of no return" it was used to Return 89,493 Chinise and North Korean captives and 13,444 U.N. Captives. The bridge got it's name because the captives were told not to look back or try to return or they would be shot.
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The little monument down at the lower left of the pic is the monument to the 1976 ax murder incident... it replaced the tree stump in the 80's
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from this location we could see Peace village or as known to those in South Korea as Propaganda City... the only North Korean city inside the DMZ. it got it's name because it housed speaker systems the size of 3 story buildings that played propaganda messages... mostly at night. but have been silent for some time. the city is empty and the only people that go there are the workers who do maintenance on the buildings to keep them in good repair.
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This flag weighs 300lbs+ and is one of if not THE biggest in the world and hangs from the largest flag poll in the world... 160 meters tall. The flag is so heavy that it is brought down in storms as it would destroy the flag poll
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This is a shot directly down the bridge of no return...
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Very pretty country there... Too bad all the pretty ones are so fucked up.

Yeah no shit. wished I could have made it up there in the summer too...

Damn Ebbs, those are amazing!

They, as in the rock soldiers used to shoot at the speakers with high powered silenced rifles back in the day, then NKorea started to threaten SKorea after they figured out where the holes came from....

I'm not sure if they still do it, but North Korea used to bus people into Propaganda City during the day to give the appearance of prosperity and wealth. Then they would bus them out at night to live in, presumably, dirt farms or whatever huts they actually called home.

Yeah, military service in South Korea is not for the faint of heart. They don't fuck around with EO complaints or sexual harassment training.

Cool pics, dude. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks man... they had a ban on photography in a lot of area's... or I'd have had alot more

:lol: never heard that... can't say I'd blame them... I'd do the same

yeah I don't know if they still do that... but we were told that too... didn't seen anyone over there... course it was the coldest day of the winter so far so who knows...

it's weird... the ROK soldiers I see daily on Osan make me laugh... but those guys... big difference...

cool pics ebbs. hopefully one day all the people of korea, north and south can ring that bell. a good start would be to get rid of kim jong "mentally" il

Most people don't really realize what fucktards the North Koreans are. Some tidbits from Wikipedia:

Incursions

Since its demarcation, the DMZ has had numerous cases of incursions mostly by the North Koreans, although the North Korean government never acknowledges direct responsibility for any of these incidents[4]. Some instances include:

-17 January 1968: 31 North Korean commandos crossed the border disguised as South Korean soldiers in an attempt to assassinate President Park Chung Hee at The Blue House. The failed mission resulted in 29 commandos killed, one committed suicide, and the last captured. Two South Korean policemen and five civilians were killed by the commandos. Other reports indicated as many as 68 South Koreans killed and 66 wounded, including about 24 civilians. Three Americans were killed and another three wounded in an attempt to prevent the commandos from escaping back via the DMZ[5].
-October 1968: 130 North Korean commandos entered the Ulchin and Samcheok areas in Gangwon-do. Eventually 110 of them were killed, 7 were captured and 13 escaped.
-March 1969: Six North Korean infiltrators crossed the border near Chumunjin, Gangwon-do and killed a South Korean policeman on guard duty.
-October 1969: North Korean infiltrators killed four United States soldiers near the southern boundary of the DMZ.
-April 1970: Three North Korean infiltrators were killed and five South Korean soldiers wounded at an encounter in Kumchon, Gyeonggi-do.
-November 1974: The first of what would be a series of North Korean infiltration tunnels under the DMZ was discovered.
-March 1975: The second North Korean infiltration tunnel was discovered.
-June 1976: Three North Korean infiltrators and six South Korean soldiers were killed in the eastern sector south of the DMZ. Another six South Korean soldiers were injured.
-18 August 1976: The Axe Murder Incident results in the death of two U.S. soldiers and injuries to another four U.S. soldiers and five South Korean soldiers. The incident may not be technically considered an "infiltration" however, as it took place in a neutral zone of the Joint Security Area.
-October 1978: The third North Korean infiltration tunnel was discovered.
-October 1979: Three North Korean agents attempting to infiltrate the eastern sector of the DMZ were intercepted, killing one of the agents.
-March 1980: Three North Korean infiltrators were killed attempting to enter the south across the estuary of the Han River.
-March 1981: Three North Korean infiltrators spotted at Kumhwa, Gangwon-do, one was killed.
-July 1981: Three North Korean infiltrators were killed in the upper stream of Imjin River.
-May 1982: Two North Korean infiltrators were spotted on the east coast, one was killed.
-March 1990: The fourth North Korean infiltration tunnel was discovered, in what may be a total of 17 tunnels in all.
-May 1992: Three North Korean infiltrators dressed in South Korean uniforms were killed at Cheorwon, Gangwon-do. Three South Koreans were also wounded.
-October 1995: Two North Korean infiltrators were intercepted at Imjin River. One was killed, the other escaped.
-April 1996: Several hundred North Korean armed troops entered the Joint Security Area and elsewhere on three occasions in violation of the Korean armistice agreement.
-May 1996: Seven North Korean soldiers crossed the DMZ but withdrew when fired upon by South Korean troops.
-April 1997: Five North Korean soldiers cross the military demarcation line's Cheorwon sector and fired at South Korean positions.
-July 1997: Fourteen North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line, causing a 23-minute exchange of heavy gunfire.
-May 26, 2006: Two North Korean soldiers enter the DMZ and crossed into South Korea. They returned after South Korean soldiers fired warning shots.
-October 7, 2006: South Korean soldiers fire warning shots after North Korean soldiers cross briefly into their side of the border.

Another incident occurred later when a Soviet dignitary, who was part of an official trip to the JSA (hosted by the North), ran across the MDL yelling that he wanted to defect. North Korean troops opened fire and chased him across the line. South Korean troops, protecting the defector, fired back and eventually surrounded the North Koreans. One South Korean soldier was killed in the incident. The defector expressed joy in his successful attempt but was saddened by the loss of life. Since this incident, the North Korean soldiers face one another when guarding the border so that they are keeping an eye on each other. This is to keep them from defecting. They are ordered to shoot anyone who attempts to defect before they reach the line.

Cool shots ebbs :dthumb:

I'm surprised you were allowed to take any pics at all. I have nothing constructive to add to this topic at all, but I will say history always interested me. Post more pics of this kind of thing as you take em.

well I don't have many day's left in Korea... but you can count on me posting more pics :wink:

Naked Korean chicks if you're taking requests.

awesome photos, the DMZ I am sure is a very eery place.

it is... especially when the North Korean's are standing there... the JSA has been a flash point for a lot of aggressions an really nothing would stop them from attacking... there were 60 QRF (Quick Reaction Force) soldiers that would be armed up and in the JSA with in 60-90 seconds... but one fully automatic weapon would have taken us (the tourists out) as when we were taking the pictures of the North Koreans... they had us lined up on the top steps... in a single file line... :panic:

I kept walk'n behind people... moving from side to side... not that it'd help a whole lot if fired upon... but hey...:idk:

My Dad was there in 1951-52. He was at Panmunjeom during the talks. He told me once that he was standing outside the building when the negotiators marched by going in. He never really talked much about any of it. I think he just wanted to move on after he got back here. My relatives that were in WWII were the same way, they never talked about it at all and if you asked a question you got a very short answer.
After he died, I got a bunch of pics from back then and if I ever get a scanner I am going to burn them to a cd. Most are just daily life pics. It is really interesting to compare then and now pictures, it is like moving from the stone age to the modern times and having pictures of both.

You notice how every single S.Korean on the MDL is in that modded ready stance? It would suck being on duty up there, ready to go every single second of the day, not just ready to go like the SWAT, but ready to lay a beatdown right that instant. I will give props to those guards for defending their country.

This makes me think about my own situation. Ebbs mentions how the Korean military near him is kind of a joke but those guys at the border are badasses. The ROK at the DMZ aren't just there to collect a paycheck, but they're up there to protect their country. The JASDF aren't allowed to attack anything, JASDF can legally do nothing but defend their country and every single one of them looks they're ready to do just that.

There are a lot of psychological warfare/provocation going on. It sounds really puerile yet funny.

The ROK soldiers use the aggressive stand as though they're about to jump and whoop ass on the NKs, thus trying to instigate some shits. The NKs try to play the inscrutible Oriental game and just acting really aloof. The US soldiers don't wear sun glasses so that they pretend to "eyeball" the NKs.

All patrols are conducted while the soldiers are armed, locked & load, ready to rock 'n roll.

Bump for The Chi

outstanding photos!

Wow... awesome! What fantastic pictures. Thank you for sharing!!

I can see why that one shot is your favourite. :D

Thanks

I appreciate it!

:lol: yeah... I had to basically lay on the ground to get that shot as I was 3 steps above the South Korean soldier... and had trouble getting the north Korean in the shot. our Army escort gave me a weird look... till I showed him the pic.

I've received some pretty funny looks when I lay down in front of something for the right angle too. Maybe I should be using my camera's articulated live view screen more :lol:

:lol: that and the sound of the shutter on my D300 in 6fps burst some girl kept saying she was hearing machine gun fire in the distance... :lol: fuck'n retards

great shots!

i love their propaganda BS that nobody is remotely fooled by. here is my favorite:
the hotel of doom! hahaha owned

http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/im...g-hotel-lg.jpg

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/DESI...of-doom-012808

Awesome pics!!

damn man, those are some great shots

Thanks!

Yeah, thanks for sharing. That really is a interesting region with a crazy history. You don't shoot bad either!

3 words

FUCK YOU EBBS

Yeah Korea really has a fucked up history... and it's really overlooked in the US because of Vietnam. there are still families torn apart because of the division.

it'd be like having a 4km wide dead zone on the mason dixon line. can't imagine having family members live 20 miles away... that you'd never be able to see.
it's what I was thinking of when I took this pic

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Awesome pics. Good shit to see.


What happened to that city? Why is it empty now?

it was never occupied. it was purely for propaganda. they bussed people in to work the fields and "occupy" the city durring the day to make it look as though it was a flurishing... they gave up in the 80's I think.

Thats pretty fucked.

It's why Communism is so widely successful.

Absolutely powerful photograph... really well done!

I bet those guards make googley eyes at people behind those sunglasses for fun :D

Thanks!
and yeah... it's crazy how deceptive communists are...


:lol:

Dude great pics....Korea is a beautiful country fo sho...

Question: Are the S. Koreans cool with the U.S. military? And can you go on the N Korean side at all??

you mean South Korean civilians or just gen pop? military yes... civ... yes... but they get tired of us... as we have the stereo type of just taking what we want... not respecting their country... acting like we own the place.


and yes... somewhat. the pic that I took of the South Korean soldier standing infront of the door... I was standing in North Korea... the other photo of the soldier standing with the table and UN flag infront of him... he is straddling (as was I when I took the pic) the military demarcation line... the line that separates North Korea from South.

Whatever you had to do to get it, it sure looks like it was worth it. Good thing that the South Korean Army didn't mistake rapid shutter for rapid fire though :lol:

awesome pics Ebbs!