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What is the demilitarized zone, or DMZ? In short, it is the land border between the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.

The Korean demilitarized zone is a strip of land separating North and South Korea. The zone was set up to put the Korean Armistice Agreement into force and to create a demilitarized border between both Koreas. It is 250 kilometres long and 4 kilometres wide.

What is the Military Demarcation Line?

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The MDL differs from the demilitarized zone. The MDL marks the actual land border as agreed by the armistice it represents the de facto border between the two nations. It differs from the border that existed from 1945-50 along the 38th parallel, due to the events of the Korean War. Interestingly, both sides won and lost land during the conflict. For more information on that whole subject, read here.

What is the maritime border between North Korea and South Korea?

The northern limit line represents the disputed border between the DPRK and ROK on the west coast of Korea. Following the Korean war, no official maritime boundary was agreed upon, That means that the demilitarized zone doesn’t reach the water. Thus, there have been a number of maritime disputes between both countries. One such incident was when Yeongpyeong Island was shelled by North Korea.

Is the DMZ actually demilitarized?

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Whilst no heavy weaponry if allowed in the DMZ, (the 4km either side of the border) the “demilitarized zone” is actually pretty much the most militarized place on earth.

What about the wildlife sanctuary?

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It is not exactly a wildlife sanctuary, but lack of humans has meant that wildlife has been allowed to flourish without outside intervention. Chernobyl has been cited as a similar example of this.

Can I visit the DMZ?

You can visit Kaesong and the DMZ with Young Pioneer Tours or it is even possible to do a much less fun trip from the southern side of the MDL!