Last week we said goodbye to some more friends before heading to Seoul for the weekend to visit the DMZ. Seven of us took the 1am night bus, and met another friend there for the 7.30am tour. It was great to travel in such a large group, and felt like a real family outing! We had strict guidelines on what we could and couldn't wear on the tour. This was partly for practicality and also because the North Korean soldiersapparently take photos of the tour groups and use them in propaganda material! So, no skirts, shorts, sandals, vest tops or crop tops. Well there was no chance of that as it was snowing when we left Gwangju! We also could not wear any sports gear, military style clothing, oversize gangster clothing, biker dress or anything with offensive slogans on. We all managed to find appropriate dress and all remembered to take our passports, which was a relief.

The tour took us first to Camp Bonifas, where we were shown an informative video and our military guide gave a presentation followed by a list of things we could not do when standing on the border. We were not allowed to wave or gesture to the North Korean guards, or try to run across the border, as they would probably have shot us! After our talk we formed 2 very orderly lines and were marched out to stand on the border, and look at the North Korean guard, who was looking back at us through his binoculars. The buildings on each side are exactly the same height due to strict guidelines preventing either side from adding more floors to the top. Unfortunately there are no such guidelines for the size of flag pole, so the size war continues there, with the north currently winning. ThePanmunjeom flagpole, stands at 160 m (525 ft) with a flag weighing 270 kg (595 lb)! This flag pole stands in the North Korean village situated in the northern part of the DMZ. Both sides were allowed to build one village within this area. Whereas the south built Daeseong-Dong, a thriving farming village, the north built Kijong-Dong, known as Peace Village, which is full of empty buildings that have the doors and windows painted on them. Apart from a skeleton maintenance crew, no other people are ever seen, and the buildings seem to be all empty shells. This village is supposed to represent the North Korean utopia, and entice people from the south to defect. Until a few years ago they played propaganda messages on load speakers from this village, which could be heard on the south side of the border, therefore the South Koreans have aptly named it Propaganda Village.

As part of our tour of the JSA (Joint Security Area) we got to see Freedom House and then enter the Conference room where we were able to step into North Korea briefly, as this building crosses the border. After this we saw the Bridge of no return, where, at the end of the war, the soldiers could choose if they wanted to return back to their original side or not. We then went to see the point of the Ax murders, where some North Korean soldiers attacked and killed some US soldiers who were cutting down a tree that was blocking their visibility from one lookout to another. After another short film and quick look around a museum we were taken to one of the tunnels which has been found. The north deny knowledge of these, but so far four tunnels have been found coming from the north to the south, large enough to allow men and vehicles through to attack the south. We took a walk down the third one they found, and they predict that there are many more in existence, which is a little worrying!

After lunch we went to the Dora observatory, where we could look through binoculars to get a better view of the north and the empty village. Our final stop was at the Dorasan Railway Station, where they have built a very large and modern station ready for the day when the country is unified. This runs directly from Seoul, and would make travel around the world much easier for the currently isolated South Koreans.

It was a long and cold day, but definitely worth it. I learned so much more about the history and political situation of the two countries. What made the trip even more significant was the fact that the North Korean president, Kim Jong Il, died on the same morning that we were there. Of course we didn't find this out until two days later, but it's certainly something I'll be adding to my personal list of memorable moments. Just briefly, with regard to his death, the mood in South Korea does not seem to have been affected at all. The foreigners here are talking about it, but the Koreans seem to just be continuing as usual. Certain world news channels seem to be trying to hype up the situation, but the feeling here in the country is pretty calm.

That evening some other friends came to meet us and ten of us stayed in a hostel. We went out for dinner to an amazing all you can eat steak restaurant, and had our yearly quota of beef all in one night. We don't have anything like this in Gwangju, and beef is so expensive to buy, so this was a real treat. We then went out for some drinks and met up with some other friends who live in other parts of Korea. It was great to see so many friends, both old and new, including a University friend of mine, Colm, and his wife Danielle.

Last night we did the Christmas trivia quiz at Speakeasy Bar. Usually I don't go along, but the team were one short and so I decided to make a special guest appearance! After winning the best team name with 'Kim Jong the dead nosed reign dear leader' and getting a free pitcher of beer, we then went on to get a perfect score in the last round. This was the Christmas music round, and we each got a free shot for this. My biblical knowledge came in handy, along with my knowledge of literature. I'm studying both 'A Christmas Carol' and 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' at the moment with some of my students, and questions came up about both of these books! We knew that the end score would be close and we came in joint first place. The team who come second get their entry money back and the winners take the rest of the pot, so to decide the winning team we each had to nominate someone to do Das Boot. This is a boot shaped glass which holds a litre of beer, and the winner is the one who can chug it all first. Of course we nominated Graham, and he won! So, for the first time ever we won the Speakeasy trivia quiz. It was a glorious moment, and there was much dancing, drinking and general partying afterwards.

Maggie x