Panmunjon -- the past and the present

When I was in primary school, one long desk was shared by two students who called each other "same-desk",  having a meaning of close relationship. However, these two same-desks often had a quarrel with each other. As a solution, in the middle of their desk, we draw a line that body and things belonged to the child in the other side could'n't cross. We called it "38 line".

I didn't know exactly what did it mean and the long story on Korean Peninsula at that time. But I did really have heard of a place named Panmunjon by a book's title though I've never read it. After I grew up, I learned more about history, and got to know the true meaning of the 38th parallel -- a scar on the Korean Peninsula. 

I joined a tour to go to Panmunjon, officially called JSA, Joint Security Area, as a guest of United Nations. In contrast, visitors, mostly Chinese, come from the north won't be UN's guests, but North Korea's. So maybe I can say this is a place North Korea VS UN. 

Label

According to our guild, today's JSA isn't the real Panmunjon where Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. The real one, at north of the present place,  is controlled by North Korea, and only Chinese visitors can see it. The houses on the boundary are used for a conference by two Koreas. The blue houses belongs to the South, and the silvery ones belongs to the North. Soldiers don't stand there usually, but when visitors are coming. Visitors come through North and South won't enter this area at the same time, just like the Koreans living in both sides of the 38th parallel -- they never meet each other.

Blue houses 

Our guide spoke the history about the division of Korean Peninsular all the way. I thought someone of her family might be in the North now, because she said that emotionally and full of anger and sadness. A lot of families were broken by that line, and the members in one side maybe not meet ones in the other side for ever.

There is a bridge in the JSA named "No Return". It's on the boundary. When the Korea War was over, prisoner of the war were put on this bridge to choose south or north. At that time, their fate, was decided.  The same thing also happened in 1949, China. Many people faced a choice -- going to Taiwan or not, and their fate became different from that moment. 

The bridge of no return

Tips: In the tour, the drinks of lunch are always NOT FREE. But nobody there will tell you before you drank them. They are really expensive.