The picture above is of the JSA, or Joint Security Area. I took the photograph from the South facing North. The blue buildings are always guarded. The buildings were last used this past December for negotiations between the two countries. Prior to that meeting, it had been over 10 years since the blue buildings were used for negotiations.

The gray building is a North Korean building. If you look closely, you can see a North Korean soldier in an olive-colored suit at the doorway. We were instructed by our US Army guide to never under any circumstances point or gesture to the North Korean side. The US Army soldier yelled at me when I tried taking pictures of all the cameras pointing at the North Korean side on top of the South Korean building. The soldiers in the green uniforms are Korean MP’s. When they stand their post, they don’t move an inch. They almost look like wax figures because they stand so still.

The video above is of me inside the JSA (the blue building). After Sam had filmed me, I turned the camera and got up really close to the Korean MP to show you that he is in fact alive. You can see his eyes blinking at the end of the video. Also interesting, I am actually standing on the North Korea half of the building.

In the photo above, you can see Korean soldiers standing in front of the Korean MP, facing the North. Notice the MP’s stance. That is a Tae-Kwon-Do pose.

The picture above is what the JSA looks like with no tourists. It is dead still and dead silent with no movement from the MP’s. At least that’s what we’re told. Maybe they goof off. They must be really good at staring contests.

My security badge for the JSA.

The video above is of a South Korean soldier waiting next to his vehicle.

That’s me walking down to what is called Tunnel 6. This is the sixth tunnel discovered, burrowed by the North Koreans. You can tell all the tunnels are drilled from the North to the South by the markings on the walls.  With information from defectors and South Korean intel, it is estimated that there are 20 tunnels made by the North Koreans, with each successive tunnel being more and more advanced (i.e. issues of flooding in the tunnels being resolved). When North Korea was questioned about this particular tunnel, they responded by saying that they were coal mining. It was discovered that the North Korean’s had simply PAINTED THE WALLS BLACK to make their claim.

The site of the Axe Murder Incident in 1976. Two US soldiers were trimming trees to improve visibility of the area. North Koreans ordered them to stop, but the situation escalated into the deaths of two US soldiers.

The famous Bridge of No Return. The rusty sign reads, “Military Demarcation Line.” Crossing that line would be a mistake.

Thats the best I could focus on some of the buildings in the North Korean side. The large structure is North Korean flagpole. South Korea built a flag polo that was 328 feet tall.  Not to be outdone, almost immediately, the North Koreans responded by constructing  what is now the tallest flagpole in the world, standing at 528ft tall. The flag is so huge it barely moves in the wind.

The buildings above are on the North Korean side. They are merely shells of buildings. We know this because the lights are dimmer in the bottom windows than the top windows. Another clue…… all the buildings lights turn on and off at the same time.