Korea - Infiltration Tunnel #3

Just below the observation post is the site of one of the infiltration tunnels dug by NK that have been discovered over the years. There are 4 known tunnels that have been found between 1974 and 1990. This tunnel was the 3^rd found; hence the clever name: Tunnel #3. Discovered in 1978 it is 73 meters deep and stretches 1.6 km under the DMZ to the foot of the Dorasan hill. An access tunnel 400 meters long at an 11 degree slope was dug for tourists to reach the infiltration tunnel; let me tell you it’s a bit of a hike (but not all that bad really). The portion of the tunnel that’s still open on the southern side goes about 600 meters back into the DMZ from where the NK stopped burrowing once they were discovered. At that point the S. Koreans built a few walls and a large cistern so if NK ever tried to break through there again they’d get flooded by the water stored in the cistern. It’s estimated that over 30,000 North Korean soldiers an hour would have been able to traverse these tunnels and one of them was even large enough to permit trucks and tanks! Our tour guide mentioned that there are estimated to be upwards of at least 20 of these tunnels along the length of the DMZ. I’m not sure if any others have been confirmed or not but there are only 4 that the Koreans are willing to admit publicly. This was another area where pictures weren't allowed ergo no pics.