The curator of the Korean Demilitarised Zone's (DMZ) museum on Monday said he hopes North and South Korea will reunite peacefully one day.

Noh Yeonsoo spoke as the Koreas are embracing a rare, Olympics-inspired reconciliation mood, after a year of heightened animosities over North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile programmes.

The countries agreed to form a single women's hockey team and have their athletes to parade together in the opening ceremony on February 9th.

The North also plans to send a 230-member cheering group and a 140-person art troupe to the South during the games.

The DMZ is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula, created during the Cold War.

It was established by the provisions of the Korean Armistice Agreement, signed in 1953 at the end of the Korean War, to serve as a buffer zone between the recently-created Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

It roughly divides the Korean peninsula in half, is 250 kilometres (160 miles) long, and about 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) wide.

Armed forces and civilians are prohibited to enter the DMZ.

The zone stretches 2 km (1.2 miles) each way south and north from a ceasefire line but beyond that strip the border is one of the most heavily militarised in the world.

The Goseong Unification Observatory is located next to the Civilian Control Line, which designates an additional buffer zone to the DMZ within a distance of 5 to 20km (3 to 12 miles) from the Southern Limit Line of the DMZ.

Its purpose is to limit and control the entrance of civilians into the area in order to protect and maintain the security of military facilities and operations near the DMZ.

For 40 years, the DMZ has been strictly off-limits, leading to a formation of an unplanned nature reserve.  

This has become one of the most well-preserved areas of temperate habitat in the world.

Goseong – 5 February 2018

1. Goseong Unification Observatory

2. Drummer playing outside the observatory

3. Viewing theatre inside the observatory

4. Tour guide pointing to key areas of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) on large photo banner and Civilian Control Line visible from the observatory

5. Viewing telescopes pointing out towards North Korea

6. Pan from viewing telescopes on outdoor balcony to East Sea coastline stretching from South to North Korea

7. Barbed wire fences of the Civilian Control Line protecting the now-disused Donghae Bukbu Rail Line and road connecting the two countries

8. Beach, DMZ and the Geumgangsan Mountain range in the distance

9. East Sea seen behind a viewing telescope

10. Pan across line of viewing telescopes

11. Barbed wire security fences and military watch posts in the Civilian Control Line

12. Donghae Bukbu Rail Line and road overlooked by a military watchtower

13. Statue of Buddha in a peace park next to the observatory

14. Pan from the peace park to DMZ area

15. Tourists taking photographs on a viewing point overlooking the DMZ area

16. Tracking shot along viewing point then looking out to the DMZ area

17. Pan from observatory tower to wide of coastline

18. DMZ Museum exterior

19. Tilt down to mock-up of DMZ security fencing inside the museum

20. Zoom in to DMZ warning sign inside the museum

21. Various of artefacts inside the museum including military helmets and bullets used during the Korean War

22. Various of a room made up of photographs of the victims of the Korean war

23. Pull out from DMZ Museum curator Noh Yeonsoo talking to a tour group

24. SOUNDBITE: (Korean) Noh Yeonsoo, DMZ Museum curator:

(++answering question on whether the unified Korean team at the Winter Olympics could lead to a lasting peace between North and South Korea++)

++ROUGH TRANSLATION++

"I hope we can one day make a peaceful reunification and through these Winter Olympics we can create a good mood between North and South Korea."

25. Tree covered with peace messages written by the museum visitors

26. Visitor attaches peace message to tree

27. Written messages hanging off the tree

28. Noh Yeonsoo doing TV interview in front of peace messages

29. SOUNDBITE: (Korean) Noh Yeonsoo, DMZ Museum curator:

(++answering question on whether locals are afraid of the nuclear threat coming from North Korea++)

++ROUGH TRANSLATION++

"I'm not afraid of anything because I look at North Korea every day from here, every morning. So, I would like the country to unify so I can go there by foot or by train, because we would be one country. I would like to go there and get along with the North Korean people."

30. Statue of a soldier inside the museum

31. Tilt down onto a shell from a North Korean missile in a display cabinet

32. Mock-up in museum of abandoned buildings in Cheonwon, a North Korean town destroyed during the Korean war and left abandoned by the subsequent dividing of the country

33. Pan of a display showing how the DMZ has now become a nature reserve

34. SOUNDBITE: (Korean) Noh Yeonsoo, DMZ Museum curator:

(++answering question on whether Olympic athletes and spectators should come to the museum to get a better perspective on the divide between North and South Korea++)

++ROUGH TRANSLATION++

"I welcome the athletes to come here and learn about the history. I don't want to lie and tell them that North Korea isn't terrifying, in fact they are terrified. And there is still a dangerous atmosphere between North and South Korea. But I want to explain to them the reality of what is happening now in South Korea and tell them the facts. But I don't want to make the relationship get worse (between the two countries)."

35. Disused lights and speakers used (mainly until 2004) to broadcast propaganda, including K-Pop, towards North Korea across the DMZ

36. Pan from "DMZ Museum" flags to "PyeongChang 2018" flags with the disused lighting rig and loud speakers in the background

SHOTLIST(including transcript):-

AP Entertainment

Seoul, 28 September 2012

1. Wide of South Korean Director Kim Ki-duk at press conference

2. Close up of Kim Ki-duk

3. Medium of Kim Ki-duk

4. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Kim Ki-duk, director:

"I have said clearly that I wanted to make a 'Border Documentary,' not an 'Environmental Documentary,' if they open everything inside DMZ (De-militarized Zone between South and North Korea), Joint Security Area (JSA) and if North Korea opens some parts of North Korea (to me). If that happens North Korea has something to give up, we have something to give up and JSA has something to give up (stating all three of them have something to compromise in order to make this project happen)."

5. Close up of a journalist

6. Medium of Kim Ki-duk

7. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Kim Ki-duk, director:

"Viewers from numerous countries such as United States, South America have waited my movie persistently, and watched it from art theaters. Thanks to that I did not lose my will and I was able to make 'Pieta,' and 'Pieta' achieve the result of winning the award (Golden Lion Award at Venice Movie Festival). I think that part is what I should keep being grateful of."

8. Medium of the press

9. Close up of Kim Ki-duk

10. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Kim Ki-duk, director:

"Since I do not have much interest in things such as revenue, I think my duty is to create movies like 'Pieta' or other previous movies, to create the world I would like to live in, which can open a possibility that enables the world becoming the one I would like to live in."

11. Medium of Kim Ki-duk

12. Medium of the press

13. Wide of the press conference hall

KIM KI-DUK TALKS 'PIETA' IN SEOUL

South Korean movie director, Kim Ki-duk, who won the Golden Lion Award at this year's Venice Movie Festival with his latest movie "Pieta," held a press conference on Friday (28 SEPT 2012) to talk about the film and his future plans.

During the event, which lasted approximately an hour and a half, he expressed his hopes of making a documentary film on the border area between South and North Korea and the Inter-Korean relationship.

"I have said clearly that I wanted to make a 'Border Documentary,' not an 'Environmental Documentary,' if they open everything inside DMZ (De-militarized Zone between South and North Korea), Joint Security Area (JSA) and if North Korea opens some parts of North Korea (to me)," said Kim.

The director added that in order to make this happen, all three sides, South and North Korea and JSA, have to agree.

Kim has also revealed the inspiration behind his award-winning movie "Pieta" was his loyal fan base in various countries.

"Viewers from numerous countries such as United States, South America have waited my movie persistently, and watched it from art theaters. Thanks to that I did not lose my will and I was able to make 'Pieta,' and 'Pieta' achieve the result of winning the award (Golden Lion Award at Venice Movie Festival). I think that part is what I should keep being grateful of."

Although Kim is a renowned director, he has not produced movies that can be considered audience friendly, indulging in a focus on the dark side of society. During the press conference, Kim expressed his strong will to withstand the harsh reality within the movie industry, which only recognizes commercially successful movies.

"Since I do not have much interest in things such as revenue, I think my duty is to create movies like 'Pieta' or other previous movies, to create the world I would like to live in, which can open a possibility that enables the world becoming the one I would like to live in," said Kim.

The 51-year-old director was born in Boghwa, North Gyeongsang Province of South Korea, and moved to Seoul with his parents when he was nine. His family was economically deprived, so Kim had to go to an unauthorized agriculture training school. He never studied film at school.

Kim told media that he worked as a laborer at factories in Seoul's industrial areas until he joined the Marines when he was 20. Kim decided he wanted a career in the film industry after he was inspired watching the Hollywood movie "The Silence of the Lambs" and the French film "Les Amants du Pont-Neuf."

He wrote screenplays and ended up making his debut as a director with a low-budget movie "Crocodile" in 1996.

"Pieta" is Kim's 18th film.

He also won prizes at Venice and Berlin in 2004 for his films "3-Iron" and "Samaritan Girl."

SHOTLIST

1. Wide of North Korean side at Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) with meeting huts straddling Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating North and South Korea

2. Mid of North Korean People Army (KPA) soldiers standing in front of MDL

3. Close of North Korean soldiers

4. Wide of Chinese tour group walking out of one of the meeting huts straddling the MDL

5. Interior of meeting huts, with North Korean officer talking to visitors

6. North Korean KPA Lieutenant Choe Song Il talking to visitors

7. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Lieutenant Choe Song Il, (North) Korean People's Army:

"The firing in the West Sea has created tension for our soldiers. So we soldiers hope that the tense situation between the DPRK and the US, and North and South, will be relieved as soon as possible, in a peaceful way."

8. Wide of Panmunjom Pavilion on North Korean side of MDL

9. Mid of Panmunjom Pavilion with North Korean soldier standing outside it

10. Close of North Korean soldier standing outside Panmunjom Pavilion

11. Wide of North Korean guard post overlooking MDL

12. Mid of North Korean soldier outside guard post

13. Wide of North Korean soldiers standing in front of MDL, looking towards North

14. Close of North Korean soldiers

15. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Lieutenant Choe Song Il, (North) Korean People's Army:

"I know that there were casualties on the South side in the West Sea incident. I hope that such military conflict between North and South should never happen again."

16. Pan of North Korean soldiers marching past huts straddling MDL

17. North Korean soldiers standing outside meeting hut which straddles MDL

18. Wide of meeting huts

STORYLINE:

A North Korean military officer stationed at the Demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas has called for an easing of tension on the Korean peninsula.

In an exclusive interview, Lieutenant Choe Song Il talked about what he referred to as the "West Sea incident", when on Tuesday last week North Korean rockets killed four South Koreans on a tiny South Korean island close to the North Korean mainland.

Choe told the APTN that the incident and the US-South Korea military exercises which followed it have caused "tension" for the North Korean troops along the Demilitarised Zone.

Choe hoped that a "peaceful way" could be found between North Korea, the US, and South Korea, to relieve the current tension.

Choe referred to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK.

When asked if he regretted the deaths caused in South Korea by North Korean rocket fire last week, Choe adopted a conciliatory tone, commenting only that he was aware of the casualties, and hoped that such military conflict between North and South Korea would never happen again.

On Wednesday the situation at Panmunjom, the meeting place which straddles the dividing line between the two Koreas, was eerily quiet.

There was no sight of soldiers, officials, or visitors on the South Korean side.

On the North Korean side, a group of Chinese visitors toured the facilities, while they were in the most sensitive area around the Military Demarcation Line, a handful of North Korean soldiers came out to stand guard.

Shortly after the Chinese group moved away, most of the North Korean soldiers left the area too.

Panmunjom is half way into the four kilometre wide Demilitarised Zone which runs across the Korean peninsula.

The Military Demarcation Line runs through the middle of the Demilitarised Zone.

The Demilitarised Zone is approximately 170 kilometres from the North Korean capital Pyongyang, and approximately 70 kilometres from the South Korean capital Seoul.