Seoul: DMZ Tour details | Jan Trabandt Travel Blog

There are many tour operators who do DMZ tours; I chose the one affiliated with the local USO office: Koridoor.

Rating: definitely worth it! Very interesting, and you can’t do it without a tour.
Cost: $77 inc. tax (about $5 more if paying by credit card; less for military personnel)
Duration: Typically 7:30 to 15:30. Sometimes a later departure is available
Sights: JSA briefing and tour (step into North Korea briefly), 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, Dora observatory, Dorasan Station

Acronyms (see also this Wikipedia article):

MDL: Military Demarcation Line: the actual border line cutting across the peninsula
DMZ: De-Militarized Zone: roughly 2km area on both north and south sides of the MDL, across the entire peninsula
JSA: Joint Security Area within the DMZ where UN buildings are situated for negotiations

Details:

It’s about an hour bus ride each way to the DMZ (approx 55km north of Seoul)
First stop is Camp Bonifas just outisde the DMZ: you get a short interesting video on the history of the Korean War and DMZ (also showing maps), and then a briefing by US soldiers
A drive around the JSA in the military’s tour bus, which includes a few viewpoints such as the Bridge of No Return and the site of the infamous Ax Murder incident over the cutting down of a poplar tree, but most importantly the UN buildings right on the MDL, especially the set of blue one-story buildings that literally straddle the MDL, where negotations are held.
This is where you can see North Korean soldiers across the line, and enter one of the buildings where you can walk on North Korean soil (within the building).
The Third Infiltration Tunnel is a tunnel running under the DMZ that was built by the North Koreans (4 have been discovered so far). It is accessed via a long sloped access tunnel (built for tourists), after which you can walk (with requisite hard hat) a few hundred meters to the first of 3 walls built by South Koreans to block the tunnel. Along the way, you see the dynamite bore holes and coal painted on the walls by North Koreans as a misdirection (despite the fact there is no coal in the area).
Oddly, there is also a natural spring fountain in the tunnel.
Tip: For taller people, the actual tunnel requires hunching over which can make your lower back sore: even though it is roughly 2m in diameter, there is scaffolding which lowers the effective height.
The Dora observatory is on top of a little hill and lets you see the area surrounding the JSA, including the fake North Korean town Kijong-dong with a huge flagpole
Dorasan Station is a train station and highway checkpoint before North Korea. Some South Koreans do work across the border at factories owned by Samsung (mostly staffed by lower paid North Korean) and at this checkpoint they are required to store things (such as phones, cameras and mp3 players) in lockers.
The train station is large and modern, with airport-style security for access to the tracks; however, this is virtually unused until reunification happens.
The slogan here is: Not the last station from the South, but the first station toward the north.
Fun fact: there is a South Korean rice farming village inside the DMZ which is subsidized by the government: no taxes, guaranteed income (US$80,0000/yr per family), protected 24/7 by military (of course they also have to be in village by sundown and locked in their houses by midnight).
Fun fact: the DMZ is now quite an unofficial bio-diverse nature preserve
Fun fact: there is a one hole golf course – just don’t go searching for a stray ball in the rough as it is surrounded by mine fields

Third Infiltration Tunnel Sculpture at the DMZ

Inside the blue building - I'm standing on the North Korean side, with the aggressively-stanced ROK soldier gurading us. — Inside the blue building – I’m standing on the North Korean side, with the aggressively-stanced ROK soldier gurading us.

Dorasan Station - if only continuing to Pyeongyang were that easy! — Dorasan Station – if only continuing to Pyeongyang were that easy!

DMZ sculpture with posing tourists (tourism is big industry at the DMZ)

Model of the JSA (the blue buildings straddle the border, and note the guard towers on both sides)

Plaque commemorating Canadian Contribution to Korean War (with Canada written in Hangul too)

Monument commemorating the Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War

Small "curb" between blue buildings is the MDL (you can also see one North Korean soldier in the distance) — Small “curb” between blue buildings is the MDL (you can also see one North Korean soldier in the distance)

Poignant scuplture of pyramid made of fallen soldiers' "dog tags" wrapped in barbed wire, suspended over sand with life spiral pattern — Poignant scuplture of pyramid made of fallen soldiers’ “dog tags” wrapped in barbed wire, suspended over sand with life spiral pattern

Misc:

Dress code: required by military, no tank tops, slogans etc. And wear comfortable walking shoes.
Food: optional Korean lunch at cafeteria at Dorasan Station (quite tasty and filling actually; either vegetarian bibimbap for W6,000/$5 or bulgogi for W10,000/$9) or brown bag it
Tip: Yes you can take photos, just not everywhere. Listen to the guide/soldiers.
Tip: In the JSA, you can’t bring any bags or purses or camera bags (must be left on your bus).
Tip: Remember to bring your passport on the trip.
Tip: Book in advance as tours fill up and don’t run daily. On their website, just because a tour is listed in the calendar, does not mean that the tour has space! For my one week trip, there was only one tour that had space.
Tip: Bring a snack and water bottle as lunch isn’t until almost 14:00. There are drink vending machines and gift shops at multiple stops.

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