Kaesong is actually home to a lot of South Korean factories. They were built by the South who pays North Koreans to work there. Trucks go daily (no more then 11 times a day) between the South and North to pick up goods, no trains are allowed anymore. Every time the tensions rise between the two the North threatens to put a stop on all manufacturing, however knowing that it employs a good number of North Koreans, that's not likely to happen.
Due to the strict photo rules we were only able to take pictures before a yellow line on the ground and this had us all holding our cameras as high as we could to get over the wall and snapping away, hoping we captured something. I had little luck, even when I gave my camera to giant Jeff.
I did manage to nab one of the last photos allowed with the South Korean guard who was making sure that no one stepped over the yellow line and took pictures (soon after he got upset with people asking and refused anymore).
When we were looking through the binoculars we were able to see a huge bronzed statue of the great North Korean leader. Although, most of you know how horrible I am at finding things so I had to get the guide to point the binoculars right at it. Then I managed to hit them with my face when I moved in too fast and have zero depth perception apparently and had to get her to do it again. Typical.
I can't remember if I've told you about the flag poles and I don't want to reread everything so this may be a repeat. On the south side of the line there is a South Korean flag atop a flagpole, and the same with the north. The poles used to be the same size until the the south was given a new pole as a gift which made it sit higher than the north (I believe, but could be wrong, it was about 100 meters). North Korea turned around the very next year and replaced their flagpole which now stands at a menacing 160meters, can't let the South be bigger of course. It is now the largest flagpole in the world. Not only that but the flag itself is 600lbs! Can you imagine the kind of wind it needs to fly? And when it rains they have to lower it because the pole can't hold the weight.
After the observatory we headed to Dorasan Station. Dorasan Station is on the railroad that once connected North and South Korea. Only a couple trains run there a day from the South (none from the North) and passengers aren't allowed to leave the station. The point I guess is to say that you took the train in to the DMZ, but I'm not sure. We purchased tickets for 500won (~50 cents) and went in to check it out. It was eerie just how quiet it was, we were the only ones there other than one soldier we saw.
Our guide told us a story about a North Korean soldier who had done something bad (what I don't know) and freaked out. Not knowing what his fate would be in North Korea, but sure it wasn't good, he decided to defect to South Korea. He did so by walking along this rail line. No one saw him the entire way. When he reached Dorasan he sat down for half an hour trying to decide if this was the right decision, he knew once he went through that there was no going back. Again, this entire time no one spotted him. He eventually decided that he could not go back and walked in to South Korea, just like that.... no one noticed. Apparently this was kept off the record and the only reason I can imagine why is because it wouldn't be great to publicize how easily this North Korean soldier slipped in.
After this we got back on the bus and headed back to Seoul. Unfortunately we missed the JSA (Joint Security Area). I don't know much about it other than you have to go through the USO to go, there is a strict dress code, you are given the tour by a US soldier, and you are watched intensively by North Korean soldiers standing, at times, mere feet from you. It's where the South and North get together to have their talks, and I heard Hilary Clinton was just recently there for a meeting as well. I am sure there are countless stories that I would have heard if I had gone, but alas, I have none.
And thus concludes the end of my DMZ tour.
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