Traveling to the North Korean Side of the DMZ from Pyongyang
Life Outside of Pyongyang
The Korean peninsula is divided by both different ideologies and the most fortified border in the world at the DMZ. Despite this, North and South Korea both dream of unification. Although relations have warmed in recent years, guns are still cocked and ready to fire on both sides of the border.
No matter if you find yourself in Seoul or Pyongyang, one can not seem to escape reminders of the Korean War. Other than the historic monuments and heroic statues are sculptures which call for the unification of the two Koreas.
Out of all the countless monuments yearning for North and South Korea to reunite into one country, the Arch of Reunification (Chollima Statue) is by far the most awe-inspiring. As you leave the colorful concrete city of Pyongyang behind, it is this enormous gate which bids you farewell as you head to the Korean border.
Straddling the Reunification highway that leads directly to the DMZ lies one of the most iconic monuments in all of Pyongyang. Two Korean women, draped in traditional Choson-ot reach out for a unified Korea. The figures, one representing the North and the other the South, set the tone for the 3-hour ride down to the border at Panmunjon. Taking travelers through North Korea’s uncharted countryside.
Want to read about what it’s like to travel to North Korea with Young Pioneers Tours? Read my whole review here!
Photos North Korea Doesn’t Want You To See
It seems that whenever there is some altercation between North and South Korea, the international media begins to post click-bait with the tagline: “Photos North Korea Doesn’t Want You To See”. These images usually reflect a country which is in the midst of turmoil and famine. A North Korea which is beyond repair.
While on one of the highly supervised organized tours of the DPRK, your itinerary is going to be full of visiting grand halls and majestic palaces. Scenes of malnourished children and run-down villages are kept well out of the public’s eye.
When traveling down the Reunification Highway leading straight to the JSA on the DMZ, tourists will be given a first look at what lays behind the curtain in North Korea’s countryside. Idyllic villages and golden fields lay nestled along the foot of mountains and hillsides. While these rural stretches of North Korea are in no way modern, they don’t quite fit the mold of a country on the brink of collapse.
You can read more on my experience touring North Korea here!
Peeking Through the Cracks
Despite the rich farmland and bountiful nature, you can still see the cracks on an otherwise picturesque countryside. Desolate villages where the rooves have collapsed and bridges which have never been rebuilt since the Korean War are common images throughout the drive from Pyongyang to the DMZ.
Foreign tourists may be quick to gasp at scenes which reflect a North Korea we have been spoon-fed through the news. It is important to remember that abandoned towns and impoverished villages can also be found driving down the highway in the United States as well.
The Reunification Highway may also be considered a showcase showing tourists an idealistic view of rural Korea. There is no doubt that this perfectly maintained road, lined with the occasional souvenir shops to trap tourists, is only showing one side of North Korea’s story. While the highway and the farmland may allude to a country with full bellies, one can only wonder what lays further down the dirt road.
While in Pyongyang, you will not want to miss a tour of the Mangyongdae Children’s Palace!
Arriving at Panmunjom
At the end of the Reunification Highway from Pyongyang, you will get a greeting at Panmunjom that you would not expect. When conjuring up images of what life would be like at the tensest border on the planet, you would imagine countless military checkpoints, armed soldiers, and tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife.
From the second you step off of the tour bus, it is not the barrel of a gun which will welcome you to the DMZ, but a gift shop. Selling everything from novelty North Korean trinkets to Korean communist manifestos, you can truly look the part before strutting into the JSA.
Despite the otherwise relaxed and even whimsical atmosphere of the North Korean DMZ, there are olive-colored uniformed soldiers and dramatic propaganda posters to remind you of where you are. But after spending some time in the DPRK, the murals calling for the death of America and menacing soldiers are such commonplace that they seem to melt into the scenery of North Korea.
Want to read more on what North Korean people are like? Check out this article here!
The North Korean Peace Museum
Following the Korean War, the village of Panmunjom was left abandoned. This collection of ten huts was to be the location where the bloody civil war would finally come to a close. While the village has been reduced to ash, the building where the armistice was signed still stands as the sole survivor of Panmunjom.
Since the fighting stopped in 1953, the armistice building has been converted into the North Korean Peace Museum. The single room of this building houses the table where the armistice was signed along with various displays and artifacts depicting the North Korean perspective of the Korean War.
Many visitors half-heartedly scan over the documents and maps plastered on the walls while touring the museum. It is not this small welcome center which interests travelers to the DMZ. But the stoic soldiers who may break character by cracking a smile which makes the trip all the more worth it.
Want to see what it is like traveling to the Chinese side of the North Korean border? Read more on the city of Dandong here!
The Moment You All Have Been Waiting For
Be prepared for all preconceived notions on what it’s like to visit the North Korean side of the DMZ to be shattered. For those visiting the South Korea side of the border, you are sure to have a quite different experience. While the South is far more intense when it comes to tourists traveling to the DMZ, the North Koreans were surprisingly relaxed.
Laughter and jokes were exchanged between the tour guides and guards as picture-snapping tourists looked over the iconic blue and metallic buildings of the JSA. The 1 km drive from the North Korean Peace Museum in Panmunjom to the DMZ was lined with tank barriers and bunkers. But visiting the joint security area was almost as if standing in the eye of a hurricane. An eerie silence is carried in the wind around the soldiers trained to kill on either side of the border.
No matter what article or pictures you search for the North Korea side of the DMZ, you are sure to see the same officer with pursed lips, standing in front of a crowd of tourists. Despite the DPRK being extremely lax with tourists, it is still a very controlled environment. Every encounter is scripted and every destination has been tailormade to only show the best side of North Korea.
