John Key might be in Korea to give stalled free trade negotiations with our seventh-largest trading partner a diplomatic nudge, but given the state of relations between the North and South any trip here, diplomatic or otherwise, is not complete without a trip to the De-Militarised Zone or DMZ.
It lies about an hour's drive north of Seoul and at its centre is the Military Demarcation Line that divides the North and South.
It is, as you might expect, under heavy military guard. What you might not know is that Seoul, too, has its protections in place - you just can't see them, and that is the point.
There is no need to remind residents that North Korea has long-range weapons trained on the city and regularly threatens to turn it into a "sea of fire", our US army guide tells us.
What you can't see is that each of the 24 bridges that straddle the Han river, which runs through the centre of the city, are wired, ready to explode should it be necessary.
We drive under an innocuous-looking overpass that is plastered with several of the billboards so ubiquitous in the city - but within it? Thousands of tonnes of rock, to be used to block the route into the city should it be required.
No such subtleties exist beyond the city limits though, and the military's presence is ever more obvious the closer we get.
At the MDL
The experience at the MDL itself is a bizarre one.
We are told not to point; the North Koreans may take our picture and use it in their propaganda material. And we are not to communicate with them in any way.
So we stand on the South side of the line and gawk at the north. Our convoy's presence sparks their interest and several North Korean soldiers come out and gawk back, with binoculars, even though we're only metres away.
When the Prime Minister steps into one of the buildings that are bisected by the MDL, they go to the window and look and listen. All the while South Korean troops keep a wary eye on them. It is an almost comical circle of observation and it's posturing of course, but it's no joke.
Tensions are at their highest since the Korean War following the sinking of Korean naval vessel, allegedly a result of a North Korean torpedo.
Jingle jangle
As a less serious aside, the South Korean troops jingle when they walk. Or perhaps jingling is not the right word for it.
But the origin of the sound is the ball bearings they wear inside the hem of their trousers - a practice that dates back to the Korean war, when they did it to make an army of a hundred sound like a thousand when they marched.
Now before you start to question whether I've morphed from business reporter to travel writer - there is more to the DMZ than viewing the one-upmanship that goes on either side of a small raised concrete line.
What's the business?
It's also a chance to view what is on the cusp of becoming a major area of economic co-operation between the North and South, the Kae Sung Industrial Complex.
One-hundred-and-twenty-one South Korean companies operate within a 3.5 kilometre square area - the South Koreans provide the electricity and the managerial staff, the North Koreans provide the cheap labour.
Almost 45,000 North Koreans are ferried into the Kae Sung complex through a specially constructed transportation corridor each day, to work 48 hour weeks in the factories.
They are paid $57.99 a month - of which the workers themselves see about $10-15 - making things like running shoes, pots and pans, chopsticks and small electronic components.
That the complex has not been affected by the recent deterioration in relations appears to be testament to both sides' desire to reap the benefits of the arrangement.
Indeed it's a burgeoning operation that is expected to eventually swell to 1,200 factories covering 60 square kilometres.
Another 180-odd South Korean companies are lining up to operate there.
Whether it's a step towards re-unification, mutual exploitation, or a bit of both, I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it appears to be the beginning of something big.
Expect big-name South Korean companies to be making big-name brands here, with North Korean labour, in the not too distant future.
Nadine is visiting Korea as part of the Korean Culture and Information Services Bethell Fellowship programme.
