D.M.Z (Demilitarized zone)

Do you remember the Berlin Wall that was a barrier separating West Berlin from East Berlin? The Korean Demilitarized Zone is very similar.

The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. Also know as the 38th parallel.

The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula in half, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the zone and the East end lying North of the zone. The Korean Demilitarized Zone is the most heavily militarized border in the world.

Both the North and the South remained heavily dependent on their sponsor states due to the outbreak of the Korean War in 1948. The conflict, which costs over three million lives and divided the Korean Peninsula, started on June 25th 1950. In the ceasefire on July 27, 1953, the DMZ was created, as each side agreed to move their troops back 2,000 meters (2,200 yd) from the front line. This created a buffer zone of 4 kilometers.

In the center of the DMZ, you have the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) which indicates exactly where the front line was when the agreement was signed. Since the armistice agreement was never followed by a peace pact technically the two nations are still at war.

The DMZ, is a neutral zone and composed of 4 elements: demilitarization, a “buffer” zone, isolation of military power and a supervisory organization. The area is prohibited for residence or business. However inside the DMZ, there is a city called Panmunjeom, this has been the meeting place between U.N and North Korea, officially it is called 'home of the Joint Security Area (JSA)' Panmunjeom is the place where the negotiations have been made. This area is crowed by guards and newsmen.

As Result; during the past half century, the Korean DMZ has been a deadly place for humans. Only around the village of Panmunjeom and the DMZ an involuntary park is created and now one of the most well-preserved areas in the world. The Korean people hope to create a better relationship between South and North Korea.

If you are interested to discover the South part of Korea, check cheap hostels in South Korea during your trip in Korea.

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