Military Demarcation Line
Back in Time
Back in the 1950's, July 27, 1953 to be exact, North and South Korea created the Armistice Agreement, which was created as a cease for war. The two agreed that fighting over the other wasn't going to happen anytime soon, despite many efforts. Instead, to keep the two from clashing, they created this border, the Military Demarcation Line, to indicate the point where the two opposing countries meet.
The Basics
This is a sign placed on the line, facing South Korea.
The line is placed on the 38th parallel north, roughly cutting the Korean peninsula in half. The line is approximately 250 kilometers long, or 160 miles. On either side of the Military Demarcation Line, there are soldiers trooped. The line itself is marked off by a colossal amount of signs, said to be about 1,292 signs. The signs facing North Korea are written in Chosongul and Chinese, while the signs facing South Korea are in Hangul and English. These signs have been there for a long time, so are now in fact, starting to rust and age.
Incursion Tunnels!
Around 1974, South Korea discovered that North Korea had dug up four tunnels, which indicated the blasting lines within each tunnel. North Korea claimed that these tunnels were used for coal mining, though no coal has ever been found in the tunnels. Some of the tunnel walls were even painted black to give an appearance of coal. It has been said that these tunnels have been dug for a military invasion route by North Korea. Each tunnel is big enough to place a team inside, within an hour, though these tunnels aren't wide enough for machinery. Through new technology, these tunnels are advancing themselves. Tourists are allowed to view the second, third and fourth tunnels with a tour guide. A total of 4 tunnels have been found so far, but it was to be believed that there are up to twenty other tunnels, yet to be found.
- First Tunnel: At first, they found the first tunnel, not knowing the use for it. The tunnel was discovered on November 20th, 1974, when a South Korean soldier saw steam rise from the ground. The tunnel, about 4 feet high and 3 feet wide, extended more than 1,100 yards into South Korea. Inside the tunnel, sleeping areas and weapon storage places were found. Because of the claim that these tunnels are used for invasion, it was said that they could fit 2,000 soldiers in through the tunnel within an hour.
- Second Tunnel: This tunnel was found on March 19, 1975. This tunnel is slightly larger than the first tunnel, but they were pretty much very alike. There was no history of anyone dying in this tunnel. It is located between 160 and 520 feet below ground, but larger than the first by 7 feet, both in length and width.
- Third Tunnel: The third tunnel was discovered on October 17, 1978. The difference between the first two and the third tunnel is that this tunnel was told to the South Koreans by a North Korean defector. This tunnel is huge! It is very advanced, and was apparently designed for a surprise attack on Seoul, the South Korean capital by the North Koreans.
- Fourth Tunnel: The last tunnel was found on March 3, 1990. This tunnel was designed to have the same properties as the second and third tunnel. This tunnel is about 6.5 feet high and is 145 m underground. It was placed north of a town in the former battlefield.