The Surreal and Very Real DMZ-Walking Into North Korea (With DMZ Facts/Figures)
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- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
- My tour of the DMZ was perhaps the most surreal and fascinating part of my month long Asia trip. I took a USO tour through Koridoor Tours to Panmunjom, home of the JSA (Joint Security Area) in the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) at the border of South and North Korea. We were given a briefing by a U.S. military officer who gave us the history of the hostilities between the two countries and warned us not to gesture toward any North Korean soldiers should we see any. We could see the U.N Command soldiers, including some ROK (Republic of Korea) soldiers from South Korea. Some of them put half of their bodies behind the buildings to protect themselves in case they were fired upon from the North. We entered the MAC (Military Armistice Building) Conference Room where the two sides meet when they have talks. In the middle of the room is a conference table-half the table is in South Korea, half in North Korea. Once I passed that halfway point, I was standing in North Korea which I did for about 5 minutes-very surreal. When I got back to my hotel in Seoul, I heard on the radio that North Korea would attack South Korea in a few days and those threats continued for weeks.
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Can you add subtitle to the clip if it's not too much trouble? The accent of the officer is kind of hard to understand for non-native English speakers.
@@wenbinxu1951 A former editor edited this video a few years ago, so unfortunately, I'm unable to edit it now, but thank you for the suggestion.
I find it so bizarre that this is a tourist attraction. Thanks for posting the video, I don't want to get anywhere near the DPRK.
+Flintstoned It is bizarre and surreal. The North Koreans conduct tours as well, so I guess it benefits both sides.
+Andy's Awesome Adventures Ironically the North Korea's are much less strict about what you can, and can't do at the DMZ.
+idol hell.
*points, waves and gestures towards north korea anyway :P
***** *dives inside a skyblue sleeping bag = invisible :P
those ROK solders look very sharp.
capt rodgers one the criteria to be a DMZ soldier is that he must be tall
Jayne Be Yeah, would have to taller and better-looking than Northkorea soldier.
Looks like a K-pop boys 😂
that U.S. soldier giving the tour was a Chicano..I know that accent anywhere.
That's weird and cool, hispanics all the way in Asia.
Right
+jorge .oroz I know, annoying as shit right? He did a good job though.
I have the same accent..I think its unique to my corner of the country.
+Greg Biffle good job, greg.
the ROK soldiers all look badasses
+du39104 99% of their job is intimidation, I should hope so.
+Colin G Which they fail at those statues on the north are filled with fucking TNT they're just waiting for the provocation hence the huge amount of mines across the DMZ
My dad used to be one of them, since my dad was 6'3 (they use the strongest and tallest men so intimidate each other). They wear sunglasses so they can take "light naps"
Those shades also differ them from the northern people. who cant afford them
du39104 ...they are...I got to train with ROK Marines back in 2002...those dudes are fucking crazy ninjas...for real
That has to be the best tour guide out of all of the videos I have seen of the DMZ tour. That guy is a great public speaker.
The irony is if you were touring from the North they'd let you flip them the bird.
Bahahahahahahahahaha.
I'd have a hard time not flipping the bird from the South. Lol.
it must be a great job to stand in front of a wall for 7 hours
Best. Job. Ever.
shaun spor 😂😂😂
Its even better when you realize most of them are conscripted lol
well, "Bob" on the other side (North Korean soldier) stays 14 hours as far as I understand from onother video...
And not love ????? 🤣🤣🤣 to hell with that ✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾
I was there in 1997 when I was in the Army. That was definitely a "You're not in Kansas anymore" moment.
S Korea dude is a beast doesn't move
The guide you got was excellent, speaks great English as well. Made the whole thing enjoyable to watch
The guide was an AMERICAN, who are you surveyed he spoke great English?
SK should build a Mcdonalds and watch the NK people go crazy to eat and the smell of burgers would drive the crazy
OK but they are followers of one crazy guy and all they know I think they are stupid to the world but hey there will always be someone who goes against the flow
+Iqbal Ali by the looks of Kim he's already met Ronald McDonald.
KFC
In N' Out burgers would be torture for them.
White Castle. Then they can get flatulence.
Based on videos I've seen on RUclips, the tour is considerably more laid back from the north side.
DallasHammster I'm guessing it's because the North wants foreigners to think that the North Is the peaceful one
Guards look like wax
+Mike Fix it's purpose it intimidation just like the queen's guards
Looks about the same, I was stationed in Korea while in the Army. I was there from 1986 to 1987. The inside of the mac building has changed since then but everything else looks familiar. I have been thinking about a trip back to see how things have changed over the years.
I was there in 84 at o.p. Olleutte how ever you spell it, did the patrols and night ambushes out of warrior base
Very well edited video and high quality filming. Nice job! :D
Thank you so much-I appreciate that!
i wonder if they wear their sunglasses at night
They wear the sunglasses to cover up as much of their face as possible. It's an intimidation tactic.
Hot80s or on a cloudy or rainy day
Don't push the blade on the guy in shades, oh no.
Wenkas they should wear Ninja masks instead!
And play some Corey Heart with some dance moves.
I was stationed there from 82-83. one of my best assignments.
How was it like back then? And why did you like it?
So lucky for all of us with friendly neighboring countries. Like here in Texas where I live, I can look over at Mexico and be like, "oh hey my dudes, bring some tacos."
Yeah tacos in USA are shit, in San Antonio TX they sale good tacos in "la banqueta
Right!! And up east you can see our maple friends! And from Florida you can see our Bahamas friends! .. only place Is Alaska where they can see our Russian frienemies
@@SnizzyFizzySlava Russia and North Korea
were those rnk statues in the conference room or actual soldiers?
Actual soldiers.
the rock soldiers look good...interesting trip..might take one soon,....thanks for sharing this
zee bee chan Thanks and yes, it was quite interesting-definitely worth a trip there.
Andy's Awesome Adventures what's funny is that it;s "the most heavily guarded place" yet they can't make a wmd that can reach us HAHAHA
Should I be visiting DMZ this coming October? I'll be in Seoul that time!! Great video here! :)
I would definitely recommend going-it's something you'll never forget.
Thanks, Andy! Will be going there real soon!
Ok, so who does the roofing on that building?
+Jason Poole probably a child-labor workforce. heh.
i thought the same thing. I would guess China or whoever else is on speaking terms with both sides.
Better question... Who pays the utility bill?
I was wondering the same thing about the utilities.
Mexicans
That is the tensest place I’ve ever been to.
The atmosphere must be something like that of the Berlin Wall before 1989.
Very interesting upload! I'd like to visit (perhaps bizarrely!)
Thanks for sharing this!
Alexander Cortez You're quite welcome!
Those South Korean troops standing guard are the most statuesque human beings I've ever seen in my life. I'm betting NOBODY would ever fuck with them, lol.
If you get too close to them or directly right in front of them, they will stick their arm out to push you away or aside. They don't mess around.
Today is November 22, 2017, I just saw a news story about a North Korean soldier who recently defected. It was shown on TV. He parked his vehicle and ran for it, getting shot several times. As he ran, he came around the corner of a white building, briefly pursued by one soldier across the border, who turned around as soon as he realized he had crossed the border. In this video, at 58 seconds, the white buildings on the far left is where the pursuit ended, although you cannot see the actual corner of the last building. As I write this the defector is in a hospital, hopefully recovering from his wounds.
I'm still amazed at how non secure looking the actual border line is. I like the aerial view of the escape. Looked like an office complex, left for North Korea and right for South.
I've seen in another vlog from someone who both visited North and South DMZ tour that suprisingly, the North Korean tour is less stricter than the South Korean tour. The North version before even allows the tourist to go to the blue house but the South ask the North to no longer include it in the itinerary so now the blue house tour is not available on either part. NK version also allow picture taking with the soldiers only there in the blue house.
OK, after speaking with a friend of my brother who was stationed at Camp Bonifas and the JSA, this is what he told me. The MDL is the de jure border, as in it is the official division of N. and S. Korea laid out by the Armistice Agreement. The DMZ is the de facto border, a 4 km buffer zone (2km above MDL and 2 below) that serve as the actual border. The JSA is a circular area inside the DMZ and on the MDL. ONLY within the JSA can North Korean, South Korean, AND UN forces freely cross the MDL. That being said, the three forces have agreed to keep their respective forces in their own country during tours. When N Korea has tours, we stay only within our side of the MDL and vice versa.
Thanks for the information!
Andy's Awesome Adventures No problem. Keep making awesome videos, I just subscribed!
latter678 Thanks-I appreciate it!
Small correction to my comment - After the Axe Murders in 1976, all parties have kept their soldiers from freely moving around the JSA other than in the MAC building during tours, for safety reasons, although technically they are allowed to resume it at any point. Another fun fact: Unless given explicit permission, it is illegal for any S. Korean citizen to set foot on N. Korean soil.
He lied to you, I was stationed there in the 80's. They do not move around freely. You stay on your own side. N.Koreans are always ìn 2's to watch each other.
What happens if you run on to the north side. Then step back in south side
3:27 - Not so fast. The blue buildings are actually on neutral ground-extraterritorial to both North and South Korea, so the people in that MAC building actually never did set foot in North Korea.
Where do you get your information? As you heard from the U.S. military officer (and from many other sources), the border goes through the blue buildings. Are you saying that the raised concrete outside the blue buildings indicates the border but inside the blue buildings is considered neutral ground, even though technically the border goes through these buildings?
Andy's Awesome Adventures I was there, i believe once you're inside the building, you're on neutral ground. The border goes around the building, so if you open the door on the North side and step outside, you could get arrested.
TukTuk Syko I'm not saying you're wrong but everything I've read or heard indicates that you can cross the border inside the MAC building. I think that both South and North Korean military are allowed to cross the border inside the building but not outside the building, which could back up what you're saying. Are there any online articles that say that the MAC building is considered neutral ground and is not in either South or North Korea?
But in practice, the border splits in two and follows the outer foundation of the building. That's why you can freely move around inside the MAC building, but not outside of it.
Andy's Awesome Adventures Andy, that's exactly what I said, you just reiterated.
Dare someone to run across real quick and steal a North Korea propaganda sign as a joke.....oh wait
+Dodgers Suck that dude has actually been on a tour inside pyongyang :P
what is funny is that my friend took a tour of no korea and was in the building on n. korean side and could see s.korean tourists..lol
Dodgers Suck Stupid
Panmunjom seems like it's always cloudy, and I've never seen clear skies without clouds.
I've done ceremonial burials for military personnel where myself and my detachment were expected to maintain discipline for up to 3 hours on the extreme end. So when I watch those South Korean guards stand immaculate post in the face of unending scrutiny, I do not exaggerate when I say: THAT JOB WOULD FUCKING SUCK.
Correct me if I am wrong cause it has been a long time since I last was there, but don't the soldiers have guard change every 90 minutes or something?
Did they know that you were taking a video? I mean is it allowed to take videos in this place outside? It looks like a super classified area to me! So it's either allowed or boy you do have balls of steel!
Yes, taking video and photos is allowed, except once inside, we were not allowed to take photos of the South Korean/American guards outside.
If you were to replace the SK Guards with wax statues, nobody could tell the difference! haha.
In 2018 I went to the DMZ on the other side, very interesting to see the southern side, ironically it's far stricter than the North.
지도를 보시면, jsa는 남쪽을 제외한 세 방향으로 북한에 포위되어 있습니다. 또한 비교적 최근의 jsa에서의 탈북 사건이나 더 먼 과거에서는 북한특수부대가 침투하여 미군장교의 목을 참수하여 매달아놓는 일도 있었습니다.
ROK soldiers (or guards?) look like they're out of the A-HA video for Take On Me. Not a bad thing, they actually look pretty cool.
It’s annoying when tourist take pictures of military men or queen’s guards like they are some sort of a magical animal.
Fascinating. Thanks for this posting.
+Lexington 1705 You're welcome-thanks for watching!
Read some stories how the ROK soldiers were sent to Vietnam to help the US fight North Vietnam. The Viet song learned quickly to fear the ROK, and avoided them at all costs.
cmscms123456 Viet song
@ 1:33 take a picture of them taking a picture you, while someone else takes a picture everyone else LOL
I hesitate to step over into my neighbor's driveway when mowing the lawn. That line has to be tense as hell.
There's a buffer zone
@@buster5661 not true, that Step is NORTH KOREA,Did you see Trump Step over it into North Korea and then KIM stepped into the South over the STEP
What I wanna know is a) how do they agree on paint schemes for the buildings and b) what side paints them?
That’s a great question.
Not just that, but the utilities, light bulbs, HVAC, upkeep, cleaning. What electrical safety standards do they adhere to, North or South?
It has to be a surreal situation. The last vestige of the Cold War. It reminds me somewhat of when I was at the Austrian/Slovak border back in 1975. Although that was surreal now in retrospect it seemed somewhat normal back then.
Was stationed at Camp Casey in 1980. Would go to the DMZ all the time. Except. for the building in the center on the north side . Just as I rember .
What happens if a rock soldier has to sneeze or fart?
Greg Biffle sneeze on one of their face....
they would be taken away and get beaten. I was stationed there, the ROK Army is very, very strict. the war is not over.
The war ended in 1953.
Petteri Heino No it did not. It "ended" in a cease fire but not in a peace treaty and therefore they are technically still at war.
Yes it did. This "still technically at war" is one of the stupidest bureaucratic mumbojambo jargon I've ever heard. The war did end in 1953. There is no such thing as "still technically at war". In fact, if they were still "technically at war" they'd still be shooting at each other! People don't even understand the actual meaning of the words and use them in a completely wrong and even opposite way. The war did not perhaps end >bureaucratically
I was stationed here 1984-1985 . Surreal! 1/9 Infantry Manchu Keep up the fire
love the guys peeking around the corners
Kinda shocked the South Koreans let people take pictures of themselves next to the soldiers. Kinda makes the army men look like a joke with people standing next to them smiling at a camera and the army men being filmed and photographed like their tourist attractions and not soldiers
British Royal Guard : "welcome to my world"
yeah, its pathetic
@@zen2857 Yeah, but i think they let people do that to make everyone know that South Korea has more freedom than North.
I only wish they gave you more time in the MAC Building. During my visit we has about 7 minutes only.
@4:31. IS the soldier in sunglass from ROK making sure NO ONE opens the door behind him??
walker ten It's more about preventing those inside the building from stepping outside into North Korean territory.
not sure How SK electricians and air con maintenance workers were to carry out repair work in such Blue Houses.
There should be a K-drama starring two officers falling in love at the DMZ, called 'The
Paektu Mountain'
You’d definitely enjoy Crash Landing on You. Similar K-drama to what you described!
Korea was the most scariest place,I have ever been station as a infantry Marine. While in Korea, there was a outbreak of food poisoning,loud sonic booms during the day,COLD,our camp was underwater due to storms,and the food was poor.
Thank you for your service!
any reasons why the buildings are painted blue?
加藤みずっち
UN (United Nations) internationally recognized color symbology.
Are they allowed to cross the yellow line ?
Which tour company did you get to have this? Im going to S.Korea in Sept and would like to experience this tour. Thanks
Hi Joseph-I took the USO/Koridoor tour from Seoul. It's best to book well in advance.
If I joined the us army if my boss said soldier your gonna be a tour guide in Korea I be all like FUCK no I didn't sign up for dat
guero Bajo why would you sign up to deal with annoying tourists
guero Bajo true but if I was going to be in the military I guess being a tour guide wouldn't get you killed atleast
Adam Bratvold with that mentality you would prob be an assistant to a cook or toilet scrubber
You woudlnt get a choice like you think you would but k
Serving at the JSA and giving the tours is an honor. You don't get the tour job without applying and being selected. It's a highly coveted position.
The demilitarized zone, is the moste Millitarized zone on the planet! :P
Eat it
Olebull93 irony
Olebull93 It is not...
are you planning to take a tour in n korea? you can go via beijing
4:55 OMG, That dude was legitametly starting in your soul😨👀
Sergeant Hernandez here really explained it all well.
I was there in 1995 when I was stationed at Osan.
What is the reason the ROK guards stand half behind the buildings like that? Are they concerned about shooting? or is it an intimidation thing?
+Guy Onearth As I mentioned in the video, it's to make them less of a target for the North Koreans should the North Koreans fire upon them.
Who paints or maintains the buildings that straddle the border? Who vacuums and repairs the furniture?
How do u book that tour?
You have to go throught the USO, if I remember correctly, and book it online.
Goes to show you didn't pay attention to him then considering he said in the video, that they were prepared for "next week"
How are the blue small houses shared? the house sits on both sides
Since both the South and North conduct tours in the MAC Building, they must coordinate their tours so that only one side is in the building at one time.
Are those soldiers real? Standing there like that?
Yes!
What do they do if you get too close? And are they SK soldiers?
As the tour guide says, if you get too close, the South Korean soldiers will use Tae Kwan Do to defend themselves.
@@AndysAwesomeAdventures why is South Korean soldier standing on the North Korean side then?? Border trespassing
!
@@noelan1 I'm not sure but it may be considered a neutral zone because it is inside the building. When the North Koreans conduct a tour, I'm sure that their soldiers are technically inside South Korea inside the building. If either side crossed the border outside, it would be a different story.
Imagine working 56 hours a week where your job is to have one eye staring at a blue building 2 inches from your face and the other eye making sure nobody comes over the line.
I was there, how did you take this video? Really would like to know as it was not allowed.
If that's true, then they changed the rules. When I was there, we were allowed to take photos and film, except when inside we couldn't take photos of American and SK soldiers outside.
How long do the ROK soldiers have to stand there in the building?
+Jack G. I read somewhere that a change happens every 30 minutes. So not that long actually.
Why has that American soldier doing the explaining the American Flag on his jacket the other way around? ( clearly visible at 1:29 )
It's a good video congratulations!
Thank you Gaby!
It must feel weird to be a North Korean guard and they are just taking photos of you and standing next to you
Was at Camp Howze C.co top of the rock 84-86 1/31 mechanized infantry did my tour on the DMZ tent city baby
I was wondering, does anyone know the type of helmet that the ROK soldiers are wearing? The ones with "헌병" on them?
I didn't notice North Korean soldiers in the video. Were they there? And do soldiers stand all the day in those positions or is it only when tourists are visiting?
We did not see any North Korean soldiers while we were there but they are there from time to time. I'm pretty sure that there are always soldiers on the South Korean side whether there are tourists or not.
Thanks.
The south Korean military guards look savage in that uniform though
How long did you get in the building?
+tjs468 I don't remember exactly but I'd say maybe 20 minutes.
Thank you for the Great video
Glad you enjoyed it.
How do you clean the room 🤔 because it belong half to the South side and the other to the north side 😆😆😀😀
Who paintsd the fresh painted blue buildings?
3:11 was in the movie the interview
why does the north koreans always take pictures at the border???
both did
Why soldier touches wall while standing?
I was stationed right beside there. Camp Liberty Bell back in 1970.
bob jones thanks for your service was it scary on that dmz knowing war could start at anytime or was it just relaxing most of the time or just stressful?
I was at the Bell in the 80's.
DMZ..a tourist spot? Iam thinking that is not a good idea... just me. I honestly don't think this is where I want to spend a honeymoon weekend.
Dude, Berlin wall... was a major tourist spot all my life (yes, on the east).
Only America would turn something like this into a tourist attraction with a guided tour . I bet they leave the gift shop too
cool video
The grass is not always greener on the other side
0:05 "don't point,wave,or gesture towards NK"
Me: *shadily throws middle finger*
Dude: Do not use hand gestures on the North Koreans
Dude: 1:03 Makes hand gestures
Which tour company did you hire?
It was the U.S.O. which is an organization that helps the U.S. military.
It's a good idea that the soldiers are standing half exposed, but what about the dude in the middle. He'll take the sniper fire first.
what happens in north korean guards step into the houses that moment?
I'm pretty sure that won't happen. I'm guessing that both sides only have certain times to bring their tour groups in-only one group at a time from each side.
In this Video Where He is South or North?
why is it called a "de"militarized zone when its got 1 million solders actually guarding it?
It's "Demilitarized" inside the zone, outside the zone along the boarders of it there is guards. While there should be no troops in the zone the NK troops often do go into it. The troops at the JSA are agreed by both sides to be there as boarder protection even though it is in the DMZ because of how close the two nations representatives get to one another its a exception.
so along the 38th Parallel, 2km on either side is no mans land. So 4km in total is considered DMZ. It has countless amounts of mines and traps set up too. All the soldiers are stationed outside the 2km border and patrol that. The panmujeon is the only place where guards are stationed that close armed.
@@paulpaek3643Wher the Americans had a section if the DMZ to patrol, there was a Infantry Battalion down the road. 1 company next to the JSA. Patrolled the DMZ in the winter. I was stationed at Camp Liberty Bell next to JSA.
Isn't there still artillery aiming at this position
I doubt it only because the South and North are too close to each other at the border here, but maybe at other border crossings. This is perhaps the one area where the South and North cooperate and each give tours at set times.
There is artillery support at 4PAPA1, aimed there for support.