Seoul
Seoul as viewed from Namsan Mountain Park near the base of the North Seoul Tower, looking North.
Seoul | Panoramic
Seoul as viewed from Namsan Mountain Park near the base of the North Seoul Tower, looking North.
Seoul | Panoramic
Seoul as viewed from Namsan Mountain Park near the base of the North Seoul Tower, looking North.
Seoul
Seoul as viewed from Namsan Mountain Park near the base of the North Seoul Tower, looking North.
Seoul
Seoul as viewed from Namsan Mountain Park near the base of the North Seoul Tower, looking North.
Korea Train eXpress (KTX)
Onboard a KTX-Sancheon Train, traveling from Seoul to Daejeon in the morning. Sancheon trains have a top speed of 305 km/h (190 mph). Shown here a screen capture indicating a maximum speed 182 mph achieved on this trip.
Expo Bridge | Daejeon
Located in Daejeon, South Korea, the Expo Bridge was built during the international Taejon Expo ‘93 and has since become one of Daejeon’s landmarks. The area where the exposition took place in 1993 was later refurbished into the Expo Science Park, where the bridge is now located.
Expo Bridge | Daejeon
Located in Daejeon, South Korea, the Expo Bridge was built during the international Taejon Expo ‘93 and has since become one of Daejeon’s landmarks. The area where the exposition took place in 1993 was later refurbished into the Expo Science Park, where the bridge is now located.
Expo Bridge | Daejeon
Located in Daejeon, South Korea, the Expo Bridge was built during the international Taejon Expo ‘93 and has since become one of Daejeon’s landmarks. The area where the exposition took place in 1993 was later refurbished into the Expo Science Park, where the bridge is now located.
Expo Bridge | Daejeon
Located in Daejeon, South Korea, the Expo Bridge was built during the international Taejon Expo ‘93 and has since become one of Daejeon’s landmarks. The area where the exposition took place in 1993 was later refurbished into the Expo Science Park, where the bridge is now located.
Expo Bridge | Daejeon
Located in Daejeon, South Korea, the Expo Bridge was built during the international Taejon Expo ‘93 and has since become one of Daejeon’s landmarks. The area where the exposition took place in 1993 was later refurbished into the Expo Science Park, where the bridge is now located.
Expo Bridge | Daejeon
Located in Daejeon, South Korea, the Expo Bridge was built during the international Taejon Expo ‘93 and has since become one of Daejeon’s landmarks. The area where the exposition took place in 1993 was later refurbished into the Expo Science Park, where the bridge is now located.
Expo Bridge | Daejeon
Located in Daejeon, South Korea, the Expo Bridge was built during the international Taejon Expo ‘93 and has since become one of Daejeon’s landmarks. The area where the exposition took place in 1993 was later refurbished into the Expo Science Park, where the bridge is now located.
Expo Bridge | Daejeon
Located in Daejeon, South Korea, the Expo Bridge was built during the international Taejon Expo ‘93 and has since become one of Daejeon’s landmarks. The area where the exposition took place in 1993 was later refurbished into the Expo Science Park, where the bridge is now located.
Daejeon Convention Center
Daejeon Convention Center (DCC), opened in April 2008, is the biggest venue among others in the convention complex located in Daedeok Science District, the heart of the Science City, Daejeon.
Expo Splash Pad
A string-lights view looking toward the Expo Music Fountain, Expo Science Park, Daejeon. In the foreground, a 100’x350’ “splash pad” with water at a depth of about 3 inches deep. About the area of two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Expo Hanbit Tower
Expo Hanbit Fountain, Expo Science Park, Daejeon, South Korea.
Expo Music Fountain
Expo Music Fountain, Expo Science Park, Daejeon, South Korea.
Expo Music Fountain
Expo Music Fountain, Expo Science Park, Daejeon, South Korea.
Expo Science Park
Expo Science Park, adjacent to convention center.
Lotte City Hotel
Lotte City Hotel, built in 2016.
View From the Lotte City Hotel
View From the Lotte City Hotel.
Smart City
A view across the Daejeoncheon river into Smart City, Daejeon Expo Science Park, South Korea.
Smart City
A view across the Daejeoncheon river into Smart City, Daejeon Expo Science Park, South Korea.
Korea Train eXpress (KTX) Rail
Otherwise unremarkable, note how the rails in the lower left of this photo are not blurred as taken from the inside of a KTX-Sancheon train, headed inbound to Seoul. These rails have precise tolerances to enable trains to travel up 190 mph on them. Return trip from Daejeon back to Seoul.
Korea Train eXpress (KTX)
The KTX-Sancheon (formerly called the KTX-II) is a South Korean high-speed train built by Hyundai Rotem in the second half of the 2000s and operated by Korail since March 2009. With a top speed of 305 km/h (190 mph), the KTX-Sancheon is the second commercial high-speed train operated in South Korea and the first domestic high-speed train that is designed and developed in South Korea. (wikipedia)
Seoul Station
Seoul Station is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Korail Intercity Lines and the commuter trains of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. (Wikipedia)
Seoul Station
Seoul Station is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Korail Intercity Lines and the commuter trains of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. (Wikipedia)
Seoul Plaza
View from room 1958, The Plaza Seoul Hotel. Seoul City Hall is also seen.
DMZ Tickets
Closed for COVID-19, and recently re-opened about a month prior to this photo, tickets to the DMZ were limited to 480 on a weekend day, down from 6,000 per day pre-COVID. Competition for tickets is first come, first served. Tour groups sit and wait for up to 2 hours in line to get tickets. Even though there should be no fighting in the DMZ, competing tour guides/companies can be heard arguing loudly as to which tour groups get placed in line. Some tourists spent the night in the DMZ ticketing parking lot to ensure they were first in line to get tickets.
DMZ Tickets
Closed for COVID-19, and recently re-opened about a month prior to this photo, tickets to the DMZ were limited to 480 on a weekend day, down from 6,000 per day pre-COVID. Competition for tickets is first come, first served. Tour groups sit and wait for up to 2 hours in line to get tickets. Even though there should be no fighting in the DMZ, competing tour guides/companies can be heard arguing loudly as to which tour groups get placed in line. Some tourists spent the night in the DMZ ticketing parking lot to ensure they were first in line to get tickets.
DMZ Peace Bell Monument
Built at the close of 20th century, the Peace Bell welcomes the 21st century as a time of reunification and peace for all mankind. January 1, 2000.
DMZ Peace Bell
Built at the close of 20th century, the Peace Bell welcomes the 21st century as a time of reunification and peace for all mankind. January 1, 2000.
DMZ Map
The Military Demarcation Line (MDL) is the border between North and South Korean, shown far left on this map. On either side of the line is the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The MDL and DMZ were established by the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953.
DMZ In Remembrance of Wartime “Comfort Women”
Comfort women or comfort girls were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. The term "comfort women" is a translation of the Japanese ianfu, which literally means "comforting, consoling woman. Estimates vary as to how many women were involved, with most historians settling somewhere in the range of 50,000–200,000; the exact numbers are still being researched and debated. Most of the women were from occupied countries, including Korea, China, and the Philippines. (Wikipedia)
DMZ Prayer Ribbons
At Imjingak where the Freedom Bridge is located there are millions of prayer ribbons tied to the fence. These ribbons are messages of hope, dreams, and wishes for unification between North and South Korea.
DMZ Prayer Ribbons
At Imjingak where the Freedom Bridge is located there are millions of prayer ribbons tied to the fence. These ribbons are messages of hope, dreams, and wishes for unification between North and South Korea.
DMZ Barbed Wire
DMZ Third Infiltration Tunnel
Only 44 km (27 miles) from Seoul, the incomplete tunnel was discovered in October 1978 following the detection of an underground explosion in June 1978, apparently caused by the tunnellers who had progressed 435 meters (1,427 feet) under the south side of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It took four months to locate the tunnel precisely and dig an intercept tunnel. The incomplete tunnel is 1,635 meters (1.0 mile) long, of 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) maximum high and 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) wide. It runs through bedrock at a depth of about 73 m (240 ft) below ground. It was apparently designed for a surprise attack on Seoul from North Korea, and could, according to visitor information in the tunnel, accommodate 30,000 men per hour along with light weaponry. (Wikipedia)
DMZ Third Infiltration Tunnel
Only 44 km (27 miles) from Seoul, the incomplete tunnel was discovered in October 1978 following the detection of an underground explosion in June 1978, apparently caused by the tunnellers who had progressed 435 meters (1,427 feet) under the south side of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It took four months to locate the tunnel precisely and dig an intercept tunnel. The incomplete tunnel is 1,635 meters (1.0 mile) long, of 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) maximum high and 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) wide. It runs through bedrock at a depth of about 73 m (240 ft) below ground. It was apparently designed for a surprise attack on Seoul from North Korea, and could, according to visitor information in the tunnel, accommodate 30,000 men per hour along with light weaponry. (Wikipedia)
DMZ Third Infiltration Tunnel
Hard hats are required to tour the third tunnel as overhead reinforcements in the tunnel reduce the tunnel height clearance to around 5' 6" in some places, randomly. It is common to hit your head in several places: hence, the need for hard hats.
DMZ Third Infiltration Tunnel
Starting in June 2013, a rail tram was put into service to take tourists down to - and return them from - the third infiltration tunnel. Prior to its service, tourists had to walk this trip, 240 feet below the surface. While this tram has the appearance of a high-speed bullet train, it moves very slow.
DMZ Third Infiltration Tunnel
Tram entrance, down to the third tunnel, 240 feet below the surface. Pictures below ground in the tunnels were prohibited. Once at the third tunnel below ground, one could walk down the length of the tunnel, about 870 feet until a ‘third barrier’ was reached. The distance between that barrier and North Korea is 170 meters or about 558 feet. A window in the third barrier allowed sight to a second barrier.
DMZ Land Mines
The DMZ may be an ecological treasure trove, but it is also a minefield, with over 1 million landmines buried in its soil. Signs warning of mines are a frequent sight in the forests around the Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) in northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces. The presence of so many buried landmines is an issue in itself, but the bigger issue is the fact that no one knows which mines are buried where or in what kind of numbers. During the Korean War, the armed forces of South Korea, the US, North Korea, and China all placed mines throughout the front lines.
Bee and Flowers I
Bee and Flowers I. DMZ, South Korea.
Bee and Flowers II
Bee and Flowers II. DMZ, South Korea.
The DMZ
A view into North (left side) and South (right side) Korea from the Dora Observatory. The observatory is on the South Korean side of the 38th parallel. Situated on top of Dorasan in Paju, the observatory provides scenic views across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
DMZ View Into North Korea
A view into North Korea from the Dora Observatory. The observatory is on the South Korean side of the 38th parallel. Situated on top of Dorasan in Paju, the observatory provides scenic views across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).