Panmunjom, JSA

Panmunjom is the only ‘truce village’ of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where tourists could view North and South Koreas without much hostility. It is probably the only unique area without any troops around as the other area separating the two Koreas is the most heavily armed in the world.  As a foreigner from a small country, I find it hard to believe that a country can be divided so clearly by the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and the culture between the North and South Koreas is so different. While the older generation is looking forward to unification between the two areas, the younger generation from the South Korea is afraid that the economic situation in Korea will deteriorate after unification since the culture gap between the two areas is so wide.

I was excited to visit Panmunjom to experience the tense situation between the two borders and from Seoul, it took about one hour to get to the check point. The soldier came on board to take a look at us and he got off and we continued our journey to another checkpoint. Before we entered the Panmunjom area, the guide checked our outfits again and asked some people who were wearing track pants to wear another pants over their own pants. Another guy who was wearing a green jacket with its country logo was not able to wear that jacket while we were inside Panmunjom. Finally a soldier come on board to check our outfits, make sure that our camera lens are not longer than 100mm and instructing us not to bring our belongings while we were in there. After that, together with the soldier, we went to the Visitor Briefing Center to watch a short movie about the history behind the two Koreas and we got on a bus provided by JSA.

At first the bus took us to Freedom House which was built in 1998 as a facility that supports various forms of inter-Korean exchanges. We alighted the bus, lined up in 2 rows and from Freedom House, we walked to the Conference Building. I saw a few soldiers standing facing the North side and at first I thought they were dummies, but actually they are real soldiers who were standing there to protect us if the North attacked. We walked into the Conference building and reminded by the soldier not to wave and point at anything while we were in there. The guide explained to us that the mid of the room divides the North and South and it was the only area where we could stand on North Korea ground. We were able to take some pictures of the room and the soldiers who were standing in there. About 10 minutes later, we walked back to the Freedom House and to the pagoda which we were able to take some pictures of the surroundings. Because of our presence, we saw some North Korean troops matching towards the Conference building and once again we were reminded not to wave or point at anything. Peace House was built in 1980 to hold all non-governmental talks that are not related to military issues.

After that we went back to the bus and we were told that we could take some pictures of the Panmungak of North Korea while sitting and it serves as offices for North Korean guards in Panmunjom. Then we moved on to the Axe Murder incident spot which happened in 1976 while five S. Koreans civilians were trimming a tall poplar tree under UNC supervision and out of nowhere, two N. Korea officers and dozens of KPA soldiers appeared demanding that they stopped the trimming. The civilians ignored their requests and another N. Korean forces appeared and began attacking these civilians with clubs and axes. After this incident, the MDL forms as a permanent separation line between the two Koreas.

Beside this spot, we saw the Bridge of No Return which crosses the middle of MDL in JSA and it used to serve as the only entrance to Kaesong city. The bridge was named as No Return because once the POWs decided to cross the bridge from either side, they could not return again and it has never been used again after the Axe Murder Incident. After this it was considered the end of Panmunjom tour and the JSA bus dropped us off at the gift shop and we were picked up again by the tour bus. We shopped for awhile at the gift shop and we went to Imjingak to take some pictures before we set off for the restaurant.

On the bus, the Korean guide told us that she hopes that there will be unification someday but no one knows when that will happen. She also told us to love the people around us as we don’t know what might happen in the future since North and South Koreas have been separated for more than 50 years and many families were separated. I also hope that the two Koreas will reach an agreement and slowly united as one country.

Yong Pyong Ski Resort

n Yongpyong Ski Resort, you can either try your hand at one of the 31 diverse slopes in Dragon Plaza or for the non-skiers, you can enjoy the Drama "Winter Sonata" filming scenes like the Gondola ride and Café”Cheo-Um”. No matter what, you would be still able to enjoy the natural scenery of Yongpyong.

Yong Pyong Ski Resort is located in Gangwon Province and it is one of most popular ski resort in Korea. Over there, you can find 31 ski slopes, 45-hole golf course, premium hotels and chalets. From Jamsil station in Seoul, I took the shuttle bus at 9:00am and I reached YongPyong Resort at around 11:30am.

 

 

  I walked through the Tower building and once I stepped out of the building, I saw the ski slopes on my left and Dragon Valley Hotel on my right. Going there around this time seems a little late as there was little snow and a few skiers. However it was beautiful and I felt relieved compared to the city atmosphere. The air was refreshing and the weather was sunny.

 

 

 Next I walked towards Dragon Plaza to take the gondola up to Dragon Peak. For the drama "Winter Sonata'' fans, I saw the gondola car which was filmed in the drama and the couple's pictures. After buying the tickets, I took the gondola up to Dragon Peak. The scene was beautiful and I believe it would be better if I visited in Feb but well... I could see the Green Pia Condomiums, the skiers and the slopes. I was amazed as the slopes had sharp turnings and the skiers could still slide around with grace... I am definitely not a skier.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The moment I stepped into Dragon Peak, I could see Winter Sonata's poster with Yu-jin and Joon Sang. I walked out of the building and wow.. the mountains seemed to be right in front of me. I stood there admiring the scenery, inhaling the fresh air and I felt that it was like a painting with numerous mountains and clouds which I couldn't express. As the ski season was coming to an end, there weren't many people and all the restaurants were closed.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After I took the gondola back to Dragon Plaza, I walked through the back of the plaza, taking some pics of the Green Pia Condo with the woods. I walked to Dragon Valley Hotel and realised the front entrance was actually on the other side. With a growling stomach, I went to the restaurant in the hotel and ordered a minestrone soup and Cajun salad. It has been a long time since I had Cajun salad and the sauce was actually quite tasty.

After my meal, I exited from the front entrance and walked to Cafe Cheo-Um which was used as one of the filming sites in 'Winter Sonata'. I was surprised to find that there were only pictures and it wasn't a real cafe, only a little room. I explored the grounds a bit and found that at Peak Island, there was a water park so it would be good to go there in the summer.

Trying to find the entrance to Tower Condo could be frustrating as the elevators were at the Tower building. When I reached the lobby, there were only one cleaning lady and a receptionist at the front desk. At the end of the path, I found the main entrance to Tower Condo so for people who plan to come here by car, make sure you have a good navigator.

Finally when I was planning to take the 3pm bus back to Seoul, I realised that since the ski season was over, there were only 1 pm and 5 pm buses. I had to take the shuttle bus to the city and take the city bus back to Seoul. It was definitely a day I wouldn't forget.