When I tell people I spent the summer in Korea, a common response involves questioning my sanity regarding my decision to travel to a country with an incredibly questionable political regime. Of course, when many people think Korea, they often think North Korea, and the harsh leadership of Kim Jong-un. To attend an international summer school in the North would be slightly questionable and to the error of my friends, I actually spent my summer in the much friendlier South, soaking up masses of culture and gimbap.
I did, however, get to visit the Demilitarized Zone, the strip of land that runs between North and South Korea marking a buffer zone between the countries. The experience was definitely unique to say the least, and a very enlightening insight to the relations between both countries. For me, this made much of what I heard a reality. Coming from the other side of the world made the situation a reality, not just snippets of news mentioned on TV.
The tour began at the Third Infiltration Tunnel, a tunnel dug by North Korea underneath the border with the South. It was super deep; a good ten-minute walk downhill underground to the end of the tunnel where the government had sealed it off. I found it truly crazy that they were successful in this, and began to question if they were digging tunnels the South are not even aware of. Not to mention the fact the seal could potentially be destroyed if the North really wanted to get through. I found it particularly interesting how the walls were painted black, in an attempt from the Northerners to pretend they were digging for coal. All pretty crazy, but the craziness was only just beginning.
Next we were shown a film about the DMZ and the tunnel, as well as the place of it in modern day Korea. Much of the focus was on its role as a nature reserve; its uninhabited state and varying geography make it a haven for wildlife. Interesting, but much of its history seemed to be totally dismissed. I was further baffled by the Chinese tourists posing around the site; the educational aspect of the site seemed lost to tourism. The gift shop confirmed this; DMZ hats, t-shirts and mugs made me feel incredibly weird.
Following this we went to a train station that used to run trains to Pyeongyang. Pretty cool, except the guide kept talking about reunification like all it would take is the Southerners running across the border with their arms outstretched. We will see, but I did get a ticket to Pyeongyang that I will never use
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Then came the Dora Observatory, where we got to rent binoculars which looked out across the DMZ and into North Korea. This was fascinating and I spent masses of change staring out into a world so unknown to everyone but those inside. I got a glimpse of a fake town, where the buildings featured painted on windows, and beyond that a real North Korean town. I scanned the streets for any sign of life, and mostly failed, until I found a field full of lines of people. Very questionable and I still wonder to this day, what they were doing… hopefully planning their freedom?
Following this, and 203845 security gates and checks, the American army took over at the Joint Security Area, the only connection between both sides. This was when I went to North Korea (okay only like 4 meters across the border but that still counts, right?!). Conference Row featured a line of buildings owned by both states, and a conference room for discussions between the two. The South Korean military stood motionless, staring out into the North, looking pretty intimidating in their sunglasses and Taekwondo action stance. Oh and of course, we were looking at North Korea!! But we were about to see it even closer. The tour bus took us down to a viewing point, surrounded pretty much entirely by the North, where we got a better look at the fake town across the border, which was blasting propaganda at us. I later learnt that the South blast K-Pop right back. It was probably the eeriest moment of the whole experience; looking into empty swathes of North Korean territory and listening to that speaker was pretty fucking freaky. Our guide reminded us that we were being watched by the North from various watch towers around us. I don’t think I could’ve had weirder feels.
I was wrong, next came the Axe Murder site and the Bridge of No Return, very endearing sounding aspects of the tour. We weren’t allowed to step out of the coach, but a glimpse of both was probably enough. The first, the location of the deaths of two American soldiers who attempted to try to chop down a tree blocking their security cameras to be killed with axes by Northern soldiers, was a simple plaque commemorating the men. The bridge was also pretty simple, if not a little derelict, but had great historic meaning as the location of POW exchanges at the end of the Korean War.
And that was that, I had been to North Korea. Pretty crazy for an unknowing student from Europe but fascinating all the same. Everything that is happening there is captivating to me and so significant in understanding the current affairs of both countries. The mystery of what lies across the border totally blows my mind and to be able to get a glimpse of it made everything seem so much more real. I really hope relations between the North and the rest of the world improve, so that everything trapped across the border, the culture, people and regime, are accessible to us.
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