Panmunjom and DMZ, North Korea

Panmunjom and the DMZ, North Korea - darkometer rating : 8 - The pivotal point on the heavily guarded border between North Korea and South Korea , including the place where the Korean War armistice talks took place. A visit to this place is pretty much a standard on itineraries of tours of the DPRK (at least those that aren't just restricted to Pyongyang ) and an absolute classic highlight of dark tourism that is unique in the world. And from the South you can go on special coach excursions from Seoul. These give you a chance to peek over and even briefly set a foot on what's technically North Korean territory (inside one of the blue huts) without actually having to go to travel to the DPRK as such. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: Panmunjom is the "nerve centre" of the DMZ between North and South Korea – and nerves really are an element in this. DMZ may stand for " D e- M ilitarized Z one" but in actual fact this is the most militarized zone in the world. It is guarded by over a million soldiers, a great majority of these on the North side – the DPRK has the world's fourth largest standing army! It is also said that the military installations (i.e. artillery mainly) – none of which can of course be seen with the naked eye – would have enough ammunition for 48 hours of constant firing, which would result in effectively depopulating an area stretching ca. 50 miles (80 km) from the front line. To avoid direct clashes, the DMZ serves as a kind of buffer zone between the two Koreas. It also has to be remembered that there has never been a peace treaty, only an armistice.