Troops swap boots for ballet shoes at DMZ

The 15 male ballet students groaned as they strained to do the splits and laughed with relief after their teacher counted to five and let them relax.

Once a week, a group of soldiers from the Republic of Korea near the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean Peninsula trade army boots for ballet shoes in a class intended to ease the stress of guarding the world's most heavily fortified border.

"There's a lot of tension here since we live in the unit on the front line, which makes me feel insecure at times," said Kim Joo-hyeok, a 23-year-old sergeant doing his nearly two years of military service that is mandatory for ROK men.