Sachinism Posted April 19, 2013 Posted April 19, 2013 Great time to visit the Korea's What are you doing there? Looking forward to more pics
Lurker Posted April 19, 2013 Posted April 19, 2013 Top stuff. Share more, pics and backdrop of your visit.
EnterTheVoid Posted April 19, 2013 Author Posted April 19, 2013 Will do Lurker. For now, I will let the pictures tell the story. The bridge of no return, the place where North and South Korea exchanged prisoners at the end of the Korean war. It is too unsafe to step outside the bus, the area itself is heavily mined. And to think, we were travelling in a bullet proof, bomb proof military bus under protection of armed guards.
EnterTheVoid Posted April 19, 2013 Author Posted April 19, 2013 When travelling a new country, one feels inclined to sample the local cuisine. Below are wine made and produced in the DPRK - i.e Democratic People's Republic of Korea aka North Korea At 60, 000 Won (approximately 60 dollars) a bottle, North Korean wine doesn't come cheap. Grabbed one of each, will try it out on the flight home. Can safely say, this purchase would be duty free.
EnterTheVoid Posted April 19, 2013 Author Posted April 19, 2013 Korea is the only divided country in the world. Reunification, maybe it will happen one day, just can't say when at the moment.
EnterTheVoid Posted April 19, 2013 Author Posted April 19, 2013 The infiltration tunnel that North Korea built with the intention of invading the South. They are rumoured to be thirty invasion tunnels built by the North, only four of them have ever been found till now.
EnterTheVoid Posted April 19, 2013 Author Posted April 19, 2013 Any questions you guys have, feel free to ask. I will respond in due time.
SLICKR392 Posted April 19, 2013 Posted April 19, 2013 We were warned beforehand not to wave, engage and/or gesticulate towards the North Korean soldiers in any way. For good reason too, as you can see in the following photograph, we were being watched North Korean soldiers through their binoculars just a few feet away from us. If we engage with them, they may use it as part of their propaganda against South Korea and/or the United States. Things are tense enough as they are, no need to instigate anything else. Damn! This is scary.
EnterTheVoid Posted April 19, 2013 Author Posted April 19, 2013 Which is why we travelled under armed protection of military and para military guards. The area is completely littered with mines, many of them still active. That is the reason we moved around in a bullet proof, bomb proof military bus.
diga Posted April 19, 2013 Posted April 19, 2013 Any questions you guys have' date=' feel free to ask. I will respond in due time.[/quote'] do you see a tinge of jealosy from the North Koreans towards the southies? obviously the per capita income of south is 50 times the north
EnterTheVoid Posted April 19, 2013 Author Posted April 19, 2013 We were told to avoid eye contact. It is the same reason the ROK (Republic Of Korea) soldiers wear the dark aviator glasses.
diga Posted April 19, 2013 Posted April 19, 2013 what about the nuclear weapons that North Korea possesses? was there any talk of that in the south or is it a hush topic?
EnterTheVoid Posted April 19, 2013 Author Posted April 19, 2013 The ROK soldiers show absolutely no emotion whatsoever. Only the toughest, strongest, battle hardened soldiers get sent out to the DMZ. The idea of the overwhelming military presence is not to occupy the North but to hold on to what they have and maintain the military armistice.
EnterTheVoid Posted April 19, 2013 Author Posted April 19, 2013 what about the nuclear weapons that North Korea possesses? was there any talk of that in the south or is it a hush topic? Nobody here cares. It seems the farther one gets from South Korea, the more paranoid people get. Here, everyone is totally chilled out and goes about their normal business as if nothing has happened. They are more interested in drinking Soju, waiting for the new Samsung release and the like. Threats of thermo nuclear war and whatever else don't even make the front page.
EnterTheVoid Posted April 19, 2013 Author Posted April 19, 2013 As part of the DMZ tour, we passed through Kaesong Industrial Complex, the joint North/South Korean complex that North Korea withdrew its workers from at the beginning of the month. On the road are these huge anti tank spikes. I was unable to take photos from the bus but they did allow access to a few television crews to film the area - just to update the local population on the current situation. Yes, the anti tank spikes are that big and there are that many of them. The following picture is not photoshopped and/or doctored in any way, this is exactly what it is like there.
Crookbond Posted April 19, 2013 Posted April 19, 2013 Some interesting links for people to read on North Korea. Our train trip via Russia to North Korea - using an officially closed for foreigners route inside the "Hermit Kingdom" http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.in/ ETV - You can go by train to Pyongyang, check it out "How". :winky: How one man escaped from a North Korean prison camp http://www.webcitation.org/66Wl65MSi
Lurker Posted April 19, 2013 Posted April 19, 2013 Will do Lurker. For now, I will let the pictures tell the story. A write-up is due then mate. Great pictures. Make sure you finish both the bottles en-flight:cantstop:
veer Posted April 19, 2013 Posted April 19, 2013 What's your purpose behind visiting Korea?? Do you work for some govt agency?
Sachin=GOD Posted April 19, 2013 Posted April 19, 2013 EnterTheVoid - what are you doing there in N.K.? he has gone to solve the conflict :P
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