Joint Security Area - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joint Security Area - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The Joint Security Area currently has around 100,000 tourists visit each year through several tourism companies[6][7] and the USO[8] (through the various U.S. military commands in Korea). Before being allowed to enter the DMZ, tourists are given a briefing during which they must sign a document which states, in part, 'The visit to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom will entail entry into a hostile area and possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action.'[9][10][11] Primarily tour companies from South Korea, Japan and the USO conduct tours. North Korean citizens are not allowed access on the tours, but citizens of other nationalities are."


"The tunnels were dug by North Korea and are likely for use by the military as an invasion route. The tunnels are each large enough to permit the passage of an entire division in one hour. All the tunnels run in a north-south direction and do not branch off. The planning for the tunnels got progressively more advanced (for example, the third tunnel slopes upward slightly as it progresses southward, so that water does not stagnate). The orientation of the blasting lines within each one indicate that North Korea dug the tunnels. Upon their discovery, the North claimed that they were for coal mining; however, no coal can be found in the tunnels, which are dug through granite, but some of the tunnel walls were at some point painted black to give the appearance of coal."