Originally Posted by
zippy the pinhead
Can't speak for everyone, but I think a tour without the JSA is basically a waste of time. Dora Observatory is only worth the time if the weather is clear. The tunnel is a decent hike if you walk out, but otherwise pretty anticlimactic; Dora station, if they take you there, is nothing special, and the cafeteria lunch you get at the border facility (where the ROK-bound trucks are X-rayed/scanned) is a wasted meal, IMO. Maybe
Imjingak is interesting the first time you visit, but not all DMZ tours get you there.
Personally, knowing now what I didn't know when I scheduled a DMZ tour (which included the JSA), I would pass unless I can get to the JSA.
I think you'd be far better off spending time on something which interests you more.
I was stationed with the US Army basically next to the DMZ south border "tape", the south border tape is the Northern point of the truce line for South Korea. To view the desolate DMZ from the northern most part of South Korea is fascinating. While I can sadly visualize the deceased GI's I witnessed in Korea, anyone can sense the hostile environment. A few years ago, my wife and I had a connection in Seoul. I arranged for one night at a top-rated hotel and I contacted them in advance for arranging a car and driver (who spoke English) to drive us in the morning to the DMZ. Unfortunately, it was winter and before we reached the DMZ, the snow fell so hard we were forced to abort the drive. If circumstances permit, such a personal tour to the DMZ would be a memory for a lifetime.