▲ 'Animals living in the DMZ' uploaded to the Google Arts & Culture online exhibition
The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea has become a wildlife paradise after being closed to humans for 70 years, CNN broadcast in the United States reported on the DMZ today on the 24th (local time).
The CNN report was based on "Google DMZ Street View," a photo and video taken by Google and South Korean research institutes to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.
The 260-kilometer DMZ was sealed off by iron fences and landmines, and there was little human activity for 70 years, the broadcast said, adding that the isolation made the area a haven for wildlife.
He said the DMZ Street View video released by Google this week provides a rare opportunity to see the flora and fauna that inhabit this off-the-beaten-path area.
Viewers can take a "virtual tour" using Google's Street View feature to see structures near the DMZ, including war-torn buildings and defensive bunkers.
CNN reported that the most surprising DMZ Street View footage is the more than 6,100 species of flora and fauna that thrived in the DMZ, from reptiles to birds to plants.
According to Google, 267% of South Korea's 38 endangered species live in the DMZ.
"After the Korean War, human activity in the DMZ was minimized for 70 years, and the damaged nature recovered itself," Google explained on its website, "resulting in a new ecosystem not seen around the city and a natural wildlife sanctuary."
Wildlife in the DMZ includes mountain goats, an endangered species that lives in the rocky mountains, musk deer with fangs, which swim along rivers between North and South Korea, and golden eagles, an endangered species that winters in the border between North and South Korea.
(Photo=Google Arts & Culture online exhibition capture, Yonhap News)