DMZ

Freedom Bridge crossed by South Korean POWs on their return in 1953. A now-defunct railway line to North Korea. The altar where 10 million South Koreans practice their ancestor worship rites - usually performed in their ancestral towns - each year because their can't return to their family burial grounds. And, through that gap between the trees, supposedly you can glimpse a North Korean factory...

... but that, as it turns out, is really difficult.

"This memorial has been erected by the Republic of Korea in gratitude to the United States of America for the sacrifices and achievements of her sons and in humble tribute to their memory. 1950-1983"

(my grandfather was stationed in Seoul)

Empty Dorasan Station - the last train station in South Korea - and its never-been-used customs area. The idea is that if and when North Korea is opened, this line will connect Korea to Russia via the Trans Siberian Railway.

In photos taken from behind the photo line you can only see the tops of the binoculars and the tiniest glimpse of the North Korean DMZ. Through the binoculars, you can see exactly where South Korea stops and North Korea begins because the North Korean mountains are completely stripped of trees. You can also see the tallest flagpole in the world, a fake and uninhabited village meant to convey the appearance of prosperity, and towers placed every half kilometer or so to block South Korean radio and television waves.