DMZ

I found this sign at the DMZ. I wanted to start with this picture so you can all be part of my beautiful memories...











Since MT fell through, I joined a group going to the DMZ. The DMZ is the buffer zone between North and South Korea. It is scattered with propaganda about how the double-faced nature of the North. From what we could tell, the North also tries to use propaganda to express the superiority of their government. For instance, there are two villages in the heart of the DMZ (about 800 meters apart) where the South built a tower that holds the South Korean flag. Then, the North built a bigger tower to hold the North Korean flag. It seems silly, but we were able to look into the North. Thinking about it, it just appears stupid in text -- I mean, we didn't visit or anything -- all we did was look through a telescope to see the North, and that is a big deal.

Traveling in Korea is quite easy. We were going to take the train at 9:30AM Sunday morning and arrive for a tour around 11-12ish (I wasn't keeping track of time). There were about 22 international students in our group, making our party 100% of all the obvious foreigners on the tour. Our first stop was Dorasan. Dorasan is significant because it is the last stop in South Korea, but it was connected to the North Korean's line with hopes that it would ease unification. There were many posters that said "Not the last station in the South, but the first station to the North." We boarded a bus off of Dorasan to explore the DMZ.

The first place the bus stopped was called "Third Tunnel." The explanations of the tunnel were littered with defensive propaganda. From what I understand, there were four tunnels built between 1953 and 1990 by the North Koreans that led directly to Seoul. The signs claimed that about 30,000 troops could move through the tunnel in an hour, putting them about 30KM outside of Seoul and past all the mine fields.

The reason that I am apprehensive about the information provided is that each sign used words like "two-sidedness," "treacherous," and "malicious" to define the intent of the tunnels. Additionally, the North Koreans claimed that the tunnels were built by the South. An example of a fairly normal sign would read close to "The coal that you see was painted by the treacherous North Koreans was meant to disguise the tunnel as a coal mine. But you can tell from the angle of the tunnel and the directional painting that the North Koreans lied." At the end of the Southern section of the tunnel was a giant wall built to define the border. There was a small window in the concrete wall where we could look across to see the North's wall. At least I thought it was the North's wall, but there was nothing that would confirm that.

The next place we visited was the closest forward observation post to the North. At this observation post, we were able to look through telescopes to see into North Korea. The area was fairly desolate, except for the two villages in the middle, holding the flags of both Koreas. They had military police enforcing a strict boundary on where pictures could and could not be taken. There was a yellow line that said "photo line" to explain pictures could not be taken from the ledge where the telescopes were located. It was the first time that I had seen official UN buildings.

We visited one more stop before the tour ended. Sadly, there wasn't much that was significant about the last place to warrant pictures or much of an explanation. Actually, it was fairly inconsequential because I can't even remember the last stop.

Two quick things about the tour:

As the bus drove around to the various stops, I saw what I believe to be my first active mine field. There was a lazily guarded (AKA a 3 foot fence and a little barb wire) section of forest with "Mine" signs every post.

There was supposed to be a dress code for visiting the DMZ. From what I understood of hearing about four different people explaining the code, jeans were unacceptable as were skirts and anything that looked tattered. While musing about why jeans would be banned, a couple of us thought it might be used for propaganda by the North. Perhaps they would use pictures of jeans to indicate how people in the rest of the world cannot afford nice clothes. The tattered clothes made more sense for that reason. But, there were a couple people that wore nice jeans and they received no obvious attention for it.

Okay. The tour was over and I was dissapointed. I was looking forward to visiting the Truce Village, Panmunjom. Panmunjom was the location of the cease-fire and is (probably) the only place where one could actually see North Korean people. Panmunjom is the place where you can stand with one foot in North Korea and one in South (although that would be illegal and I would be arrested and/or shot). Nonetheless, pictures of South Korean soldiers standing face-to-face with North Korean soldiers were 99% likely taken at Panmunjom. I asked at a visitors' center about how we could visit the Truce Village and I learned that it was about $70...ouch...but I still really want to visit, so maybe that can happen in the future.

We took the train back one stop south of Dorasan to Imjingang, which was 52KM from Seoul and 209KM to Pyongyang. We saw some other things to look at while in Imjingang, so we decided to stop there for a while. We had to stay as a group because we had one ticket for 25 of us (3 no-shows), so nobody could leave alone. On the edge of South Korea, as the city fades to gray and the depressing landscape starts to mimic the likely scenes in North Korea, we came across the most surprising place yet --------- a small amusement park. It was a little weird to see the buildings of Seoul vanish to fields and farmlands, followed by brown fields and gray clouds, and then to witness this amusement park...

Notwithstanding, there were other things to see around the park. Freedom Bridge is a famous bridge used for prisoner exchanges following the cease-fire. There was a giant bell that people could ring for peace. There was also a series of horrible pictures showing Korea during the war. It is still surreal for me to look at pictures of children going to school in Seoul amid rubble and for me to remember that the place I live now was nothing sixty years ago. For me to think that the streets I walk on were a mixture of concrete, bodies and flashes of war. And nothing here is older than 60 years.



After we bought our original train tickets, we had to stop here to purchase our tour tickets. I think everyone in this picture is international.













This was us about to depart for the tour. The checking seemed really half-assed. They didn't ask us to clear our pockets, which meant that everyone set the metal detector off. The soldier checked me and it beeped on my coat button, so he asked me to empty out my right pocket. I pulled out a pack of gum and chap stick, he said I was okay and to move on. He didn't even check my left side or my legs...








Here is a picture of me right on the yellow line. These telescopes were about $.50 to use, so I didn't actually use it. The hills in this picture are North Korean hills.












This is the end of Freedom Bridge. It doesn't actually connect or even remotely touch North Korea, but is instead more of a symbolic reminder of those who were repatriated or those who switched sides. There were pictures of people who prayed for family members that they hadn't heard from since 1953 as well as some older Koreans who held pictures of deceased relatives that never got to see their homes in the North again.








There were two of these at the front of Freedom Bridge. The one to the right of this picture was a South Korean Military policeman and this one...well...I am not 100% sure who this is. There were other similar images I saw of North Korean soldiers, but none of them were female and none dressed like this one. I wanted a photograph with her because I thought she was cute. The snack in my hand was like a Quaker rice snack. It was street food and I saw it being made. The best way I can describe it is that there was rice filled in a mold, then the top came down, and five seconds later one of these shot out. I actually mean shot out -- it was like BOOM and it shot out. That was actually the only reason that I bought them.



I was a little worried and then I read this small sticker and felt more comfortable...













I am really not sure why this amusement park is here. My first inclination was that it would be used to tease the North Koreans about how great South Korea is, but I am fairly sure that it can't be seen. The landscape around this ride reflects most of the scenery as we continued North.