Additional Information About the DMZ and Trivia from the Tour

Since there is so much information about the DMZ, the Korean war, and the military in general I thought I'd make additional post with other information and facts that I gathered either from the tour or in reading.

• The DMZ is probably one of Korea's top tourist attractions.  It sounds ridiculous to have a militarized zone as a tourist attraction, but many people from around the world are very drawn to visit.  In a way, its a bit sad that people can seem more attracted to experiencing the one bad part of this peninsula rather than the other neat and cultural aspects.  However, it is obvious that Koreans are pushing tourism here in South Korea in hopes to compete with Japan and China.  When you go to a tourist type of event or location they tend to give you tons of free stuff and extra attention when they spot your a foreigner.
• The bridge of no return is located east of the JSA.  It is the spot where all prisoners of war (POWs) were repatriated after the end of the Korean war.  This is the only ground link between Seoul and Pyeongyang.  
• As stated before, the north's flag at propaganda village stands 160 km tall while the south's flag at freedom village stands 100 km tall.
• At the DMZ, some North Korean products were available for purchase.  These were mostly varieties of wine.
• One of the more disturbing and, perhaps, nauseating facts that we had explained was that the body of Kim Il-Sung, the "great leader" of North Korea (and who is technically still their president, since they consider him "eternal"), is embalmed in a glass case for citizens and visitors to see.  In order for his body to be maintained and not decompose, it is required that his body must be cleaned weekly and then extensive cleanings must be done at other times periodically throughout the year.  The costs to maintain this is something like $80,000 or more.  Do not quote me on the cost exactly, as I am not 100% positive, but it was at the very least $80,000.
• Up until the 1980s, North Korea's economy was going well but since that time it has continued to fall, resulting in famine and need for supplies.  Coincidentally, South Korea struggled in the first 20 years post-war, but is now has one of the highest economies in the world.
• The only time that South Korea has ever been in complete control of their military was the year prior to the Korean War outbreak when the two countries were separated along the 38th parallel due to conflicting economic differences once they were finally free from Japan after the Japanese defeat in WWII.  Because of the war outbreak, the US and UN forces took control of their military and have continued to do so since.
• In South Korea, all men are required to enroll in two years of military service in training (yes, that is basically just boot camp for 2 years).  They can either do this immediately after high school or after college, but this does tend to leave them a bit behind females. 
• In North Korea, all citizens (male or female) are required to be in the military starting at the age of 16/17.  The years of service that is required (I think) was about 15 years, though it has changed a bit in the last 10 years... the length requirement used to be more.
• On the border between the north and south at the JSA there is a concrete slab to show where the soldiers (or anyone) should not pass.  The south side has gravel, but the north side has dirt.  A fellow tourist during the tour asked why this is.  The answer was that the SK and UN forces did construction on both sides at one point so both were gravel.  However, the NK soldiers insisted that the dirt must be put back because "the dirt is sacred to Kim il-Sung".
• In 1962, there was a US military private who, while doing his duty at the DMZ, simply decided to drop his gun, leave his post, and deny support of the democracy ideology and cross over to live in communist North Korea.  He still lives there today.  There are several sources of information on him, but a CBS news article interviewing him is here.  The documentary about his life is called "Crossing the Line".
• The Dorason train station connecting Seoul and Pyongyang was in operation to ship goods and products from 2007 to 2008.
• Samsung and LG (both South Korean companies) have a part of all of their products made partially in North Korea.  So if you've ever owned a Samsung or LG phone, part of that phone was actually made in North Korea.

For further information: Joint Security Area

Movies/documentaries that our tour guide recommended:

Kimjongilia

JSA