Daeseong-dong
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Daeseong-dong, South Korea, is a town in South Korea close to the North Korean border. It lies within the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The village is about one mile south of the Bridge of No Return towards the North and 7.5 miles from the city of Kaeseong, North Korea.
Daeseong-dong belongs administratively to Josan-ri, Gunnae-myeon in Paju. It is the only civilian habitation within the Southern portion of the DMZ with Panmunjeom 0.6 miles northeast, with the actual Military Demarcation Line (the de facto border between South and North Korea) only 400 yards north of the village.
Daeseong-dong is only one mile opposite of Gijeong-dong,a village in North Korea's portion of the DMZ. Here is the very place that an observer can see Korea's division, seeing the different national flags fluttering on gigantic flagpoles in Daeseong-dong and Gijeong-dong respectively.
While the DMZ is under the administration of the Allied Control Commission, the residents of Daesong-dong are considered South Korean civilians and subject to South Korean government law. Residents of Daesong-dong have both benefits and restrictions. For example, the residents have the same rights to vote and be educated, but they are exempted from national defense duties (conscription) and taxation. However, there are restrictions on many matters including the freedom of residence and change of residence, as well as an 11pm curfew.
