Panmunjom is the only place where tourists can be killed

The village of Panmunjom is located in the demilitarized zone of Korea. This is the only tourist destination where tourists are forced to sign a declaration that they are notified and are fully responsible for "injury or death that may occur as a result of enemy action."

Panmunjom is a small village 55 km north of Seoul, which is the de facto border between North and South Korea. It was here that in 1953 a peace treaty was signed between these countries. However, since the parties have not reached peace, they are still in an official state of war, and about a million people guard this demilitarized zone. This 4-kilometer strip of land in Korea is the most militarized region in the world: emplacements, mines, barbed wire and anti-tank weapons are just a few of the "sights" that can be seen here.

(Total 9 photos)

1. 1 km east of the abandoned village is an almost circular piece of land where both sides periodically meet for discussions and skirmishes. Although most of the time the soldiers just look at each other across the border.

2. Soldiers have not been allowed to cross a certain line and defect to the enemy since 1976 due to the so-called Ax Murder Incident. Back then, two American soldiers were killed with an ax by North Korean soldiers when the Americans were simply trying to cut down a tree.

3. This is a very dangerous place, but what is most interesting, it attracts tourists. Every year, thousands of tourists come to this village to see the last front of the Cold War. It's like a strange amusement park, where the main attractions are death and cataclysms.

4. The 62-kilometer drive to this village is still "fun". You are driving along the deserted Liberty Road, approaching the border. The main goal of the road is to drive tanks along it as quickly as possible, if a war suddenly breaks out. Both sides of the highway are fenced with barbed wire, and there are observation towers every few hundred meters.

5. There are machine guns on the neighboring hills, sandbags for defense on the median lanes, and some bridges over the highway have huge concrete blocks that can be blown up to block traffic on the roads.

6. One of the attractions of Panmunjom is a trip to the blue one-story building, where representatives of both sides periodically meet. The conference table, covered with green velvet, stands right on the border line, and microphone cables running in the middle of the table are considered the international border.

7. When tourists are brought into the building, four soldiers from the American UN detachment stand on the roof of the building, and North Korean soldiers can go to the windows and look into the building.

8. Tourists are warned not to look at the soldiers or show them any gestures that they might not like. There is a strict dress code for visiting the village. Do not wear blue jeans, shorts or any other provocative clothing.

9. “I'm not sure that this DMZ can be recommended as a holiday destination,” says journalist Kevin Sullivan. “But those who are in South Korea on business or on vacation should visit this place. It's one of the weirdest and most amazing places you can get on a tour bus."