North Korea – beyond the demilitarized zone (14 photos)

In 1953, the Korean War came to an end after more than three years of fierce fighting that left millions of soldiers and civilians dead and wounded. To this day, two parts of Korea - North and South - are separated by a demilitarized zone with a diameter of about 4 kilometers. North Korea remains one of the most isolated countries in the world and does not allow foreigners or journalists near it.

1. This composite photo shows two North Korean soldiers: the photo on the left was taken on May 26, 2010, on the right - on June 2, 2010. Soldiers stand guard in the peaceful village of Panmunjom, which is located in the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. Tensions in Korea are rising every day after Seoul officially announced that Pyongyang sank one of its warships, killing 46 people on March 26. At Seoul's request, an international investigation was launched. (AFP PHOTO/JUNG YEON-JE/KIM JAE-HWAN/FILES)

2. Visitors to a military museum look at a panorama of the Korean War in Dandong, Liaoning province, China, June 1. Beijing must either blame North Korea for the sinking of the South Korean ship or support the UN action. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

3. A North Korean soldier watches the South Korean border in the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. In regional elections, South Korea voted in favor of conservative President Lee Myung-bak as he tries to push ahead with his business reforms, while the liberal opposition blamed Lee for causing tensions with Kim Jong-il and for failing to live up to his election campaign goals. promises. (REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won)

A journalist at a news conference on the technically North Korean side of the village of Panmunjom stands next to a South Korean soldier in Paju, 55 kilometers north of Seoul. (REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won)

5. Residents of North Korea are vacationing in the city of Sinuiju. The photo was taken from the bank of the Yalu River, near Dandong, in China's Liaoning province, on May 28. North Korea's main ally, China, has refrained from taking Security Council action on North Korea's alleged sinking of a South Korean ship. China's apparent patience with North Korea stems from a reluctance to take any steps that could disturb the peace in Pyongyang. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

6. A North Korean soldier shows something to a North Korean man on the outskirts of the city of Sinuiju in North Korea. Photo taken from the China-North Korea border, near Dandong, May 31. Russian experts arrived in South Korea on Monday to continue investigating allegations against North Korea over the sinking of a South Korean warship as South Korean troops practice defending their borders against North Korea. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

7. A South Korean army soldier points towards North Korea at an observation post in the village of Panmunjom. The sinking of a South Korean warship, which it blamed on the North, cast a shadow over South Korea's local elections, which have become a gauge of public attitudes toward the president's handling of the security crisis. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)

8. North Korean soldiers rest in the shade on the banks of the Yalu River, which divides China and North Korea, in Sinuiju. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

9. Residents of North Korea stand on the deck of a boat floating on the Yalu River, separating China and North Korea. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

10. A North Korean man stands with his granddaughter on the banks of the Yalu River in the city of Sinuiju on May 31. China has refrained from blaming North Korea after the Cheonan tragedy. China is biding its time, quietly supporting its unpredictable, nuclear-armed neighbor. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

11. North Koreans pull a boat towards the remains of a floating bridge that Chinese troops used in the Korean War. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

12. North Korean soldiers sail on a motorboat on the Yalu River separating China from North Korea, near the Chinese border, in the city of Dandong, June 1. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

13. North Korean national team coach Kim Jong Hon (left) arrives at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on June 1. The North Korean national team has arrived in South Africa for the FIFA World Cup, which starts on June 11. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

14. A South Korean army soldier stands at a post on the border of the village of Panmunjom, separating North Korea from South Korea. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)