Joint Security Area (JSA)

#throwback2014 Signed up for a one of a kind DMZ adventure with a US Army soldier as my tour guide.. not the usual overpriced “wave at North Korea from a hill” tourist scam. This was the real deal with insider info that probably landed me on at least one North Korean watchlist. Lucky enough to visit the legendary JSA, the only place on Earth where you can stand in a blue UN conference room and have one foot in South Korea and the other in North Korea without accidentally starting World War III. This is where North and South delegates meet face to face, the table literally split by the border, designed as if someone wanted to make international diplomacy look like a board game. For context, Korea was one country for thousands of years until 1945, when the peninsula got split along the 38th parallel after World War II, the Soviets took the north, the Americans took the south, and both sides thought, “Yeah, this won’t cause problems.” Cue the Korean War in 1950, which ended in 1953 with… not peace, just an armistice. Basically, the world’s longest awkward pause. It’ll be nice to see the North and South unify once more. The people want it, but the leaders… hmm, let’s just say they’re not in a hurry to share Netflix passwords. Closest I’ve ever been to North Korea — unless you count my freezer full of kimchi. Check out the last photo. Caught a North Korean soldier pointing binoculars at us. I waved. He didn’t. Probably busy assessing if my face was a threat to national security.

No ticket requirement to enter with some security restrictions, having some unforgettable moments here.

Went to visit the JSA back in December of 2017. Very interesting place. You’re able to go in one of the blue conference rooms where you can step foot in North Korea. The security is very strict, but the experience was worthwhile.

A very special place and one of incredible historical importance. The only direct contact point with North Korea. High level meetings take place in the blue buildings. Also the only place where KPA and ROK soldiers face off. The sunglasses on the soldiers are not a coincidence..

Great experience, it takes about 2 and half hours to get there from camp humphreys. A must tour attractions to understand more about korea

Excellent security, was constantly under surveillance from the moment I arrived at the border area. Great explanations from the tour guides.

Very unique experience to be able to visit here. You can feel the tension all around as you're being watched closely.

The DMZ between South and North Korea. A must see if you visit South Korea. I worked here from 1974 to 1976 as an escort driver and revisited 50 years later. Captain Bonifas was my company commander and was murdered by the North Korean soldiers, KPA. I was also in the middle of the assault on Major Henderson.