The East Frontline
The DMZ and North Korea seen from the Goseong Observatory in November, 2024. The border is behind the small peninsula in the centre of the image.
The land border and the DMZ end in a dramatic landscape of sea and mountains on the shore of the Sea of Japan, called the East Sea by the Koreans, some fifty kilometres north of the town of Sokcho in South Korea.
South Korean fort (November, 2024).
North Korean Guard Post (November, 2024).
From the Goseong observatory, an imposing D-shaped building (for DMZ), one can see the lines of barbed wire running along the ridges, imposing military forts reminiscent of medieval fortresses and a few North Korean flags fluttering in the wind in the distance. It is also possible in fine weather to see Mount Kumgang, Korea’s beloved mountain, located on the northern side of the border.
A North Korean watchtower at the eastern edge of the DMZ (November 2024)
For ten years, from 1998 to 2008, South Koreans were allowed to travel to Mount Kumgang, first by cruise ship, then by coach along the cross-border coastal road. A resort built by the South Korean conglomerate Hyundai, including a golf course and hotel, welcomed over a million visitors during this period, enabling North Korea to earn hard currency.
On 11 July 2008, a South Korean tourist was shot dead by North Korean soldiers after inadvertently entering a prohibited military zone while walking on the resort's beach. Since this incident, South Korea has suspended the Mount Kumgang tours.
The road and railway that cross the border at the seaside are now only used by military patrols on the south side. On the north side, the army blew them up in October 2024. Two months earlier, a North Korean soldier had defected by crossing the border by foot via the regular road along the sea.
Anti-tank obstacles on the road to the DMZ (November, 2024).
The road between the town of Sokcho and the border is strewn with anti-tank obstacles. Explosives placed on the foundations supporting huge concrete blocks can be detonated in the event of an invasion from the north, blocking the road. This type of obstacle is common on South Korean roads close to the border, including in the suburbs of Seoul. Some are also used as advertising hoardings.
The Sea of Japan, or East Sea, near the DMZ (November, 2024).
For dozens of kilometres, from the border to the outskirts of Sokcho, the coastline is protected by barbed wire, surveillance cameras and electrical fences designed to prevent infiltration by North Korean agents. Kilometres of unspoilt beaches have been left to marine wildlife and birds.
These are not empty precautions. There have been numerous infiltration attempts in this sector since the end of the war.
The most serious of these was the grounding in September 1996 of a North Korean submarine carrying a team of killers whose mission was to assassinate the then president, Kim Young-sam, at a public event in the nearby city of Chuncheon.
The North Koreans abandoned their submarine, split up in several groups and hid within the area, resulting in a 49 day long manhunt that left 37 people dead: 16 South Koreans (13 soldiers and 3 civilians - mushroom pickers who were stabbed after stumbling across the commando), as well as 24 North Koreans (11 of them executed by the others for running aground of the submarine). One North Korean soldier surrendered and later became a naval instructor for the South Korean Army. Another one was never found and is believed to have returned to the North.
The DMZ Museum (November, 2024).
Near the Goseong Observatory is the very interesting DMZ Museum with a permanent exhibition where you can learn all about the DMZ, anti-personnel mines or the propaganda operations carried out by both sides. A piece of the Berlin Wall is also on display here.
