The cease-fire conference of the Korean War was conducted in this room in 1951. Finally we stood on the historic place. I'd like to explain something for the people who haven't visit here.
Look at the first picture. We were in the North Korean Territory at that time. The man who was standing behind us was guarding us at the risk of his life against the abduction by the North. The door of the backside of him lead you to the North. I couldn't believe, but some North Korean officers seemed to have abruptly stormed into this room and tried to capture some tourists before. I heard this story from our guide, but I wondered if it was true. I know, the North is the rogue country, but even so, might it be possible? Anyway, we were ordered not to turn into his back and never approach his right side to keep his right arm free. His gun sounded like ready to shoot. I was not used to seeing guns and felt scared by it. The letters on his helmet mean "Military Police, 憲兵".
In the second picture, the line connecting microphones are the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). It meant that my daughter was in the North and I took her picture from the South through the MDL.
In the third picture, I stood near the officer who straddled the MDL.
(Vocabulary)
at the risk of one's life 命を懸けて
Military Demarcation Line 軍事境界線 군사분계선
straddle 自転車・馬などにまたがる
〈道・境界など〉 にまたがっている
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