Photo Gallery, Page 7

Sightseeing in Korea

Cheorui Samgakji (The Iron Triangle Zone)

The Iron Triangle Battlefield is the area that connects Gimhwa, Pyeonggang and Cheorwon. This area had the heaviest casualties during the Korean War with the Baekmagoji Battle and Oseongsan Battle. The Iron Triangle Battlefield was prohibited to the public after 1953 when the war concluded in an ceasefire, but the reality of the war was slowly revealed starting from November 1989.

The Iron Triangle Battlefield was the headquarters and frontline of the North Korean Army. This area had the unique natural advantage of being a difficult spot for Allied forces to attack, but an easy spot for North Koreans to defend. At the old battlefields are the labor headquarters, the 2nd tunnel and the remains of a train with a sign that reads 'The iron horse wants to run'. The Labor Headquarters, a Russian-style 3-story building, was built by compulsory fund raising and labor mobilization. Many people who were in the anticommunist movement were brought here and tortured and killed. Behind the building remains of people, bullets and iron chains are still being found today.

This is also the spot where the 2nd tunnel, 108km north from Seoul, made by North Koreans to invade South Korea. It is also known as the gathering area of seasonal birds and is a popular bird watching spot.

Credits: Korea National Tourism Organization