This is the frontline to Kim Jong-un. A South Korean guard is the first stronghold. I visited the demilitarized zone some time ago.
The guards look a bit like in an operetta. They wear dark sunglasses and stand still in that Taekwondo position. Their fists clinched to show their will to fight.
One eye is directed to North Korea, one looks at the blue wall. It's crazy. I wonder if they develop a visual disturbance. But I heard they practice ballet (!) for recreation.
The 3 negotiations barracks are painted in the same baby blue as the helmets of UN forces. Inside these barracks we were able to cross the border to the North for 5 meters.
Weather wasn't too good that day, but maybe you can recognize the flag post north of the border. It's not an ordinary one, it's 160 meters high.
And there are also gigantic loudspeakers that send propaganda speeches towards the south. The street down there and the control station are abandoned.
Before we entered Panmunjom we had to sign a form that we acted on our own risk. The North Korean Army installed several watch posts.
There have been several shootings over the decades. Just recently a North Korean soldier was shot down right at this spot. He was rescued by soldiers from the South severely wounded.
Here you can find a video by CNN on the incident
Luckily everything went fine for us. But even when we returned to Seoul, the South Korean capital just 50 km away, the uneasy feelings of the surreal border remained.
There is literally no chance to stop rockets or shells before they would reach Seoul. Around 10 million people live there. I wonder how they cope with the ubiquitous threat. Remember: The war between the North and the South has never ended since it started in 1950.
All photos by me.