It is a peaceful morning on June 25th, 1950. Suddenly, a volley of missiles flies by and destroys everything instantaneously. And just like that, families were separated, parents killed, children orphaned.

This was the situation on the very first day the Korean War broke out. To this day, many are unaware of the real causes that started this war and believe that it was the notorious dictator Kim Ill-sung who truly wanted to attack South Korea. However, China’s Mao Zedong and the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin wanted to indirectly show their power by invading South Korea and its democratic republic. The greed of the infamous leaders caused approximately 3 million deaths between the two countries, including valiant U.S soldiers.

After the long, hard-fought war, the two Koreas came to a ceasefire in June 1953, which declared a short hiatus in the war. The armistice was signed by North Korea, the United States, and China, which also declared the borders between the two nations, now known as the DMZ (Demilitarized zone) that is along the 38th parallel. More specifically, there are many borderlines that indicate the territories in the sea, land, mountains, and even in the air.

Today, the war has never broken out again over the past 60 years and peace in the Korean Peninsula is established. However, this cannot be guaranteed because North Korea never followed the rules of the armistice agreement. Until this day, there have been multiple times when North Korean troops infiltrated South Korea. According to statistics, North Korean troops crossed the DMZ about 786 times while South Korean troops always kept their composure. Among the most infamous infiltrations, the four underground tunnels are not as well known. In detail, the dictator of North Korea ordered his men to dig four tunnels in four different locations to attack Seoul, the capital of South Korea, at any given time. An interesting yet scary fact is that about 2,000 soldiers can go back and forth per hour. The tunnel is approximately about 50 to 60 kilometers long.

The DMZ is protected by UN soldiers in alliance with the United States and the South Korean army. Much appreciation and thanks is and must be given to these courageous men for risking their lives in order to protect the border every day.