TAESUNG, South Korea, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Two girls have become the first graduates of an elementary school near the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, established in 1953.
Because of its location, the school, with only 12 students, is seen as one of the tensest places on earth, reports the BBC.
Several military personnel were among guests attending the graduation ceremonies at the only school in the village of Taesung.
"I never want to go to North Korea," said 13-year-old Kim Na-young, one of the two graduates. "I can see them farming with ox plowing the fields. It looks very primitive."
The school was built in 1953 as a symbol of North and South Korea's post-war truce.
Despite the proximity of thousands of North Korean troops, the girls said they had never been scared at school.
"The kids grow up here, and the military presence in the DMZ is a way of life," said the father of one of the girls. "They get used to it."
He said he is more worried about his daughter going to middle school where there are far more students and fewer resources.
