The most heavily guarded border in the world is located between North Korea and South Korea, two countries still technically at war. The border is about 248 km long and 2 km wide. It is referred to as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and, believe it or not, is open for tours hosted by the United Service Organizations (USO).
The USO runs this tour about twice each week. You need to reserve a spot in advance and the cost is $70. In addition, there is a dress code, and you will need to have your passport with you or will not be allowed to go into the DMZ.
The tour begins at the USO building near the center of Seoul. Buses take you about an hour north to a checkpoint where everyone is required to give their passports. After that, you are told when and where you are allowed to take pictures due to security concerns.
The first destination is a place called Camp Boniface. The military installation is named after an American soldier who was killed along with some others by North Koreans in what is now called the "Axe Incident" with the Joint Security Area.
At Camp Boniface, everyone is given a brief overview of the history of the DMZ and the Joint Security Area (JSA). Basically, the JSA is a site within the DMZ right on the military demarcation line (MDL) which marks the very center of the DMZ.
After the briefing, you will board the busses again. If you look out of the bus window as it pulls away from the briefing building, you will see a 3 hole golf course, so have your camera ready. Sports Illustrated magazine once called it "the world's most dangerous golf course."
Visiting the JSA is the primary reason to join a tour of the DMZ. It is here where you get to see North Korean soldiers, see the concrete curb that marks the MDL, and cross into North Korea while inside a negotiation building that straddles the MDL.
After going into the JSA you will have a chance to see, as the bus drives by, the Bridge of No Return. This small footbridge was used at the end of the Korean War to allow captives from each side to go back to their families. The only condition was that you could never go back across the bridge.
You will also be given a chance to see, as the bus drives by, where the tree that was involved in the "Axe Incident" was located. Now there is a monument in the shape of a tree stump and a plaque.
There is a short break for lunch. I think the lunch options, bibimbap and bulgogi, are awful and overpriced. So, I recommend packing a lunch.
There are two places where you can buy souvenirs. The main one is at Camp Boniface, and the other is at the lunch site. I bought bottles of soju (alcohol) made in North Korea at the lunch site. Other things for sale are different kinds of alcohol, t-shirts and barbed wire once used along the border.
After you finish lunch, you are taken to the Dora Observatory. This is an area of high ground along the DMZ where you will have a chance to look into North Korea. When looking into North Korea, you will be able to see such things as the Kaesong Industrial Complex, propaganda village, and a giant North Korean flag hanging on a giant flagpole.
The final stop on the tour is the 3rd tunnel. This is one of the four tunnels that have been discovered which North Korea dug in order to invade the South. There is a long access ramp that takes you about 150 meters below ground where you can walk another 50 meters or so to where the tunnel has been blocked.
Sitting at my desk and looking back, I can definitely recommend this tour. In fact, I think this is a signature tour in Korea that one would be sorry to miss. It only takes a day of your time and offers you the opportunity to experience firsthand the world's most heavily guarded border.
Online resources:
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) (wikipedia)
United Service Organizations (USO) (Korea Branch)
