CLAUDIA & CARSTEN'S WORLD EXPEDITION

Camp Bonifas

The UN JSA - United Nations Joint Security Area - in Camp Bonifas is where we started the tour. It got its name from Army Captain Arthur Bonifas, who was killed by North Korean soldiers in what became known as the "Axe murder incident". Two UN soldiers were trying to cut down some branches of a tree which was blocking the view into the North Korean side and they were attacked and killed.

JSA

The blue buildings belong to UN and the grey buildings belong to North Korea. Panmunjom (JSA) is the place where the Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953 and today it is the location where South and North dialogues take place.

Bob

"Bob" is the name the UN soldiers give to the North Korean soldier you see standing in the North Korean building.

Negotiation table

The microphones dividing this conference table record everything 24/7 and they also mark the DMZ border of the two countries (thus we were in North Korea when we took this picture) The table is based inside the blue house from the former picture and it's where the famed face to face meeting, known as "The Battle of the Bladders" between the two sides took place.

Soldiers

Two South Korean soldiers of the United Nations Command Security Battalion stand guard inside the JSA conference room, in front of the door leading to the North Korean side of the JSA. They are among the tallest in the Korean army and stand in a Taekwondo fighting position and wear dark sunglasses to intimidate.

Dorasan Train Station

Railway plans for the future

Railway looking into North Korea

Gift from Berlin

Germany gave this piece of the Berlin Wall as a gift to Korea in order to congratulate them for their efforts to re-unite the country.

North Korea

North Korea

North Korean flag

This pole is 160 mt high and the flag weight 300 kilos. On rainy days it needs to be lowered, as it would be torn apart by the weight of the flag and the water.

South Korean side

North Korea