Living in Korea it's hard to escape speculation about the North. While the land across the border can easily seem a million miles away while you live a peaceful life as an English teacher it doesn't take much to remind you that the distance from Seoul to Pyeongyang is, in fact, tiny.

After three years of brutal, devastating war a line was drawn across the Korean peninsula that was in reality not much different from where it had been at the start of the war.

Looking out the window of the coach from Seoul as we drove North into the no man's land around the DMZ was a bit like traveling back in time. The South Korean government offer tax incentives to anyone willing to set up a home in the area as it is not exactly prime real estate. The result is that much of the landscape looks just as it did 50 years ago and earlier.

Aside from the plethora of military machines (if you're into that) the DMZ abounds with historical sites and observation posts. The distance between the two states is about 4km guarded on both sides by high, fortified fences, machine guns and land mines.

What's left of one of the old train stations, Wol-chong-ri, is a shell of a train, a platform and a sign that hauntingly lists destinations on both sides of the border. It's a relic that has been left to remind Koreans of the horrors of war and I can safely say it serves its purpose.

I was more than a little surprised to find out that the former headquarters of the communist party is actually south of the border. What's left of it is little more than a shell.

Having lingered around these reminders of the past I was happy to see that there are signs of some progress. Cynically I feel that some of these efforts are a bit like propaganda, they are symbolic gestures more than anything else.

A new train line extending to the border on both sides is an optimistic symbol for reunification. The empty station that is last on the line on the Southern side looks much the same as any of the other newer stations in the South. The difference? This one will eventually serve Seoul and Pyeongyang!

Though I did not have time to visit it myself (it takes a little security clearance) the peace village or Joint Security Area of Panmunjeom is the only place where the North and South meet. Here soldiers of both states are just a few metres away from each other and the tension is allegedly palpable.

It's not a cheerful place but much like Checkpoint Charlie or the former concentration camps it is worth visiting this area to see history preserved. Often South Koreans will shy away from the topic of the divide and many more will express anger or hopeless optimism in my experience. Walking around metropolitan Seoul you could nearly forget that their concerns and opinions are relevant to much more than a story in the news and the only way I found to refresh myself and accept that somber reality was to visit the DMZ.

Traveling with a tour group is really the only way to see this area. Consider the US Army's tour- details available in Itaewon.