Whenever I say I've been to Korea as a country, people are intrigued. The following two questions are always, Did you go to the North and did you see Kim?
Sadly as an American I can't just walk into North Korea but the next best thing is going to the DMZ. The DMZ is the De-militarized Zone, a two mile stretch between both North and South Korea that is heavily fortified and protected by outside entities to fend off war between both countries. Entering the Blue North Korean buildings at the DMZ is the closest I will get to the country for now but Ill take it.
The trip to the DMZ is a lot of driving and stops but worthwhile nonetheless. I finally made it to the DMZ and entered the Third Tunnel to hear about war stories and see the depth of one of the North Korean dug tunnels into the country. I further visited damaged trains battered in war and bridges that were blowned up to cut off access. There is a lot of things you can do on the two mile stretch included being escorted into the room where the country has diplomatic meetings with each other. Enter through the front door but don't leave through the back, trust me i'd advise against it. You can also purchase North Korean bills and beer at the DMZ.
At the end of the tour you get to walk up to a hill where there is a lookout to a North Korean propaganda village where they play opera music to drown out the south and in return the south plays Kpop. The whole situation is sad and I found out technically both countires are still at war as there was never an offical end to the war. The DMZ is one of those don't miss trips so if you ever get a chance to visit, take it!
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