Korean Job Discussion Forums

[summer33ny]

Has anyone been on the USO DMZ tour recently? Is it worth going?

[Cohiba]

There is the USO and some domestic operators who do the DMZ tour.

DON'T DO THE TOUR THAT KOREANS DO. IT IS NOT THE SAME.

Koreans aren't allowed in the UN area or Panmunjom. So if you
go on those tours you will see a tunnel and some cheesy observation/
gift shop building. That's it.

But to answer your question. Yes, it is really cool. You can go into
the meeting room. You can stand a meter away from NK border troops.
You can see North Koreans working in the fields in the DMZ. The funny
thing is the NK troops face away from SK. They are more concerned
with people leaving than coming in!

[pianowill]

When I was at an immunization clinic, they said either Malaria or Japanese Encephalitis (can't remember which) was common in the DMZ area. Since I'm going to be teaching and living just south of Seoul, I opted out of the shots/pills/whatever. Should I bring some malaria pills with me in case I want to visit the DMZ or will I be fine?

[nottina]

It's a cool tour and a fun trip. They show you 3 observation points, and the JSA (blue buildings with meeting rooms). I was able to get a tour that included the 3rd Tunnel (which has a steep walk no one mentions).

Try to plan the tour around the weather - we went on a smoggy/foggy day, and couldn't see very far into North Korea.

[mavsfan5]

Has anyone done an Adventure Korea DMZ trip?

[Jane]

[mimis]

Really? Is the USO DMZ tour so different? I took the normal (Korean) one over a year ago, and I can't tell you how boring and a waste of money it was. It was very disappointing. They don't show you anything worth while, completely useless. I think they even took us to a 'diamond factory' or something like that at the end of the trip. Now I know they do that cheesy please-buy-something-here stuff in China, but never expected that in Korea.

Anyways, I've never done the Panmunjom tour, that might be a cool one..

[crossmr]