| Abstrakt: |
Is Kim Jung-un on the other side,' I wonder as I peer through the tiny hole in the solid stone wall, imagining the diminutive North Korean leader staring back at me. I've just walked over a kilometre down a two metre-high tunnel in South Korea that would have made a hobbit feel claustrophothe bic. Thankfully, I'd donned a bright yellow hard hat at the entrance, as I banged my head against the roof five or six times on the way. The Third Tunnel, one of four infiltration tunnels discovered so far, was built by North Korea as part of its plan to invade neighbouring South. It was designed to allow 30,000 armed troops cross the border in an hour. The hole I am peering through is supposed to give us a glimpse of the secretive Communist country across the border. Today, instead of North Korean troops, Chinese tourists travel up and down the tunnel as part of a tour of the demilitarized zone or DMZ, which stretches 2km either side of the border between North and South Korea. At Dorasan train station, built to link both countries as part of an ill-fated peace initiative, there's a sign indicating the platform for the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. There's also a plaque marking George W Bush's visit in 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] |
