Korea - DMZ Joint Security Area

Inside this building is where all the conferences between the two sides are held. If you look at the concrete slab with the gravel on one side and sand on the other; the gravel is South Korea and the sand is North Korea. This building sits perfectly on the line with a half in each side. Therefore when you’re inside you can technically be standing in North Korea. In a couple of my pictures you can see I’m on the sandy side (North Korean side) of the line.

In the picture where I’m standing next to a ROK guard the door behind us is the door to North Korea. The door was locked while we were inside but is normally unlocked. When the ROK guards lock/unlock the door for tour groups there has to be two guards, one to unlock the door and one to hold the one unlocking the door. Apparently the North Koreans have waited on the other side of the door and stolen ROK guards in the past so now they have extra guys to hold them down in case of an attempted kidnapping.