A Trippy Trip to the DMZ

The Demilitarized Zone (known as the DMZ) between North and South Korea is one of the strangest places either of us have ever visited. The boarder between South and North Korea is one of the most heavily fortified and militarized borders in the world, yet various tour companies (including the USO, who we went with) shuttle hoards of tourists there every day.  The tension is thick, with violent incidents and fairly frequent acts of aggression and terrorism still lingering in the air, just a few years past.  Republic of Korea (R.O.K.) and U.S. soldiers stand ready on the South Korean side of the boarder, making fun of the Korean People's Army soldiers (K.P.N.) yards away in North Korea as nervous tourists laugh and snap photos.  Both sides record each other with cameras mounted everywhere, remodel buildings in attempts to out-do one another, and maintain strict rules (like no pointing - one guy on our tour got yelled at for pointing at the North Korean side) regarding behavior around the border.

Not far from the Joint Security Area (the J.S.A), where tour groups flock and delegates from the U.N. try to keep things peaceful, there is a train station connecting the North and South.  It seems to have been built mainly for publicity.  George W. Bush went there to commemorate its opening, but no train has passed from one side to the other.  The train station stands new and shiny, a propaganda ghost boasting of a brighter future, where the two sides are re-united by this glorious transport hub.  For now, it just stands mainly empty - a creepy and eerie shell, waiting for passengers that will likely never come.  The station even has security stalls with conveyor belts and metal detectors set up for the day when trains can once again cross the border.  The station looks brand new, but oddly feels like a ghost town.  You can even pay to go down to the platform and look at the unused tracks.

in North Korea w/ROK soldier

There are also small border towns on each side near the JSA.  The South's town is populated by relatives of villagers displaced during the Korean war over 50 years ago.  The North's town is, according to the South, populated by no one and made to look really great, though it is entirely empty.  At one point, South Korea's town put up a flag pole and the North quickly put up a taller pole with a larger flag to show them who is boss.  North Korea's town is called "Propaganda Village" because they used to blare anti-South and pro-North propaganda over loud speakers up to 18 hours a day.

A real, live North Korean!

Our tour visited a tunnel dug by North Korea as well.  The tunnel is one of four that have been discovered so far.  Every time one of these tunnels is discovered, North Korea has a new excuse.  The one we visited had black rocks, which were painted so the North could claim that it had been mining for coal.  Upon being confronted about one of the other tunnels, the North simply blamed the South, claiming that they had built it.  This seemed to us a little like passing gas in an elevator with one other guy, turning to him and saying, "You did it." Classic.

The bus loads of tourists visiting the JSA, the empty train station and the tunnels combined with the seemingly childish antics of both sides (the flag pole war, and drawn out arguments involving the tallest building in the JSA, and more) make a very dangerous situation feel very bizarre.  Three American and R.O.K soldiers were killed in the late 1970's when they were attacked by North Korean soldiers after attempting to chop down a tree obstruction their view of other observation points. A few days later the tree was cut down while air support and an aircraft carrier of the coast of South Korea provided cover.  We also learned about several fairly recent acts of terrorism, the plight of North Korean refugees, and broken families.  There is a grave and heartbreaking rift between North and South Korea.  The fear and anger and hatred is very strong, but the DMZ does feel a little like Disneyland with machine guns. The souvenir shops were the weirdest part, as they peppered every stop on our tour and carried everything from North Korea beer (what, no embargo?) to little US army fatigues for infants.

We had been told that you have to go to the DMZ to believe it.  And we didn't plan to go at first.  We thought it would be too dangerous, since all either of us have ever heard about it were the acts of violence and the extreme tension on both sides. But it was really powerful, disturbing, somewhat comical, emotional, and frightening all at once.  It was truly unlike anywhere we have ever been.