While elite South Korean Soldiers stand guard in a modified Taekwondo stance, U.S. Soldiers on a cultural tour briefly step across the demarcation line into North Korea and have their pictures taken.
Nearly every weekend in the small, blue conference building that straddles the line between North and South Korea, U.S. Soldiers get the chance to visit the site where the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission hosts negotiations with one of the most isolated nations on Earth.
The buildings are in a small circular area known as the Joint Security Area, a patch of land within one of the largest no-man's-land on Earth, known as the demilitarized zone. The DMZ was created after the signing of the armistice at that brought an end to the Korean War in 1953, to serve as a buffer zone between the two states. Roughly 160 miles long and 2.5 miles wide, the DMZ splits the Korean Peninsula from east to west.
Soldiers looking to tour the DMZ can sign up through their local Community Activities Center. The tour starts in the morning with a bus ride to Camp Bonifas on the southern edge of the DMZ. There visitors are briefed on procedures for the tour and given a background on the Joint Security Area by Soldiers from the United Nations Command Security Battalion.
Visitors are taken from there by a United Nations bus to the Joint Security area, famous for its blue conference buildings and the presence of Soldiers from both Koreas separated by a thin concrete line marking the border.
Sgt. 1st Class Israel Herrera, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 91st Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, toured the DMZ as part of his job as a career counselor, but also for personal reasons.
"I've been reading a lot about Korea and its history," said Herrera. "It puts everything in perspective once you get to see it face-to-face."
Soldiers on the tour have an opportunity to go inside the UNCMAC conference building where the center table straddles the line between the two countries.
"My favorite part of the tour was stepping foot and hanging out in North Korea for a couple of minutes," said 2nd Lt. Tyler Laufer, Co. D, 2nd Battalion 12th Cavalry Regiment. "It seemed tense with a level of professionalism on both sides and seeing the Soldiers staring at each other without movement or facial expressions was impressive."
The tour also includes the "Bridge of No Return," and a trip to the Dorasan Observatory near the "Third Tunnel of Aggression." While most Soldiers in Korea want to tour the DMZ because of its uniqueness and historical significance, Ironhorse Soldiers are also taking advantage of the opportunity to reenlist there.
Master Sgt. Stacey Coleman, career counselor, 1st ABCT, said that Soldiers reenlisted at the DMZ on April 9th and explained the opportunities and limitations available to Soldiers looking to do so in the upcoming months.
Soldiers will be allowed to reenlist inside the Freedom House at the JSA, but can not take photos of the ceremony, he said. After the ceremony, reenlistees can take photos outside the building and can enter the blue conference building.
Coleman has conducted reenlistments across the world, to include war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is excited about the latest opportunity for Soldiers.
"Every reenlistment ceremony in a foreign land is special for the Soldier and his or her family, and can be shared instantly around the world," said Coleman. "Conducting reenlistment ceremonies for 1ABCT Soldiers less than 500 meters from the North Korean border symbolizes Freedom and our patriotic duty."
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