North Korea and South Korea (Part
2)
North Korea and Hyundai investments in the
country
At the end of the 1990s, the South Korean
company Hyundai
started making some investments in North Korea. The first
step was taken in 1998, when Hyundai founder, Chung Ju Yung,
crossed the North-South Korean border with a present of
1,001 cows.
Hyundai today operates a special industrial
zone in Kaesong, North Korea, where North Korean factory
workers assembly products for some South Korean companies.
Also, Hyundai manages a new tourist destination for South
Koreans in Geumgangsan Diamond Mountains. Hyundai Asan runs
tours to this North Korean destination, has built a hotel
and roads and plans to make a golf course for rich South
Korean tourists.
Korean Demilitarised Zone – DMZ
Between North and South Korea there is a Demilitarised
zone or DMZ, a strip of land which is four km wide and 248
km long, stretching across the Korean peninsula from east
to west. Nobody lives in this area; only
the army can access it, as it is full of land mines, missiles,
guard posts and troops. Because nobody lives there, the Korean
DMZ is a great natural reserve, an uncontaminated oasis for
wildlife.
The military base of Panmunjeon is the outpost
where soldiers from the South face soldiers from North Korea.
For a civilian it is possible to visit Panmunjeon, but only
with guided tours. There, visitors can see the Joint Security
Area or JSA, where the Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953.
The JSA is split down the middle by the Military Demarcation
Line (MDL). On the northern side of the MDL is the Panmungak,
a grey Stalinist structure. Between the two borders is the
MAC building where, with a guide, you may briefly cross over
into North Korean territory. Near the building there is an
observation point called Checkpoint 3, from where it is possible
to observe the North Korean village of Gijeong-dong, also
dubbed Propaganda Village by the UN troops. The reason being
that very few people, only caretakers, are believed to be
living there and the lights within the buildings can be seen
to light and be turned off every day all at the same time.
On the southern side of the DMZ there is a small traditional
Korean village, strictly controlled by the South Korean government,
where very few people are allowed to live.
Starting on the 15th of November 1974, the South
Korean army discovered four tunnels. Because of their characteristics,
shapes and sizes they are believed to have been dug by North
Koreans with the aim of invading South Korea. It is possible
for tourists to enter some of the tunnels. You will be required
to wear an helmet inside the tunnels, as in some points they
are quite low; it is possible to walk inside the tunnels up
to a certain point where a wall marks the beginning of North
Korean territory.
Page 3 - Dorasan
Station, Korea & Mount Kumgang, North Korea
Back to Page 1 - North
Korea and South Korea - Divisions, history & profile
