Amidst all of North Korea's missile launches, the aggressive rhetoric between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump and the unsurprising calm here in Seoul, it almost becomes a must to visit the infamous border between North and South Korea, the most militarized border in the entire world.
It is known as the demilitarized zone, or the DMZ for short, and it serves as a buffer between the two countries. We visited as part of an organized tour group, and on the rides to and from the DMZ, we were shown a video on the bus explaining the entire history behind the divide, which I'll summarize in the quickest way possible.
Following the surrender of Japan at the end of the second world war, the Korean Peninsula was divided in two at the 38th parallel. The North handed to the Soviets and the South handed to the Americans. Naturally, the Russians imposed a Soviet-style socialist republic on the North, whereas the Americans established a Western-style democracy in the South. Following the Cold War, both Koreas were granted the opportunity to form their own governments in 1948, which is when the real drama really started to unfold.
The North centralized its government in Pyongyang and did not allow for any democracy, as instead it essentially became ruled as a dictatorship. The South, on the other hand, created a government similar to most Western governments, with a multi-party voter system.
In June of 1950, the North decided to try invade the South, fuelled by their drive to reunite the peninsula. The brutal Korean ensued. At first, the North gained momentum and captured nearly the entire peninsula. The South, aided by the U.S. and the U.N., fought back and were able to not only recapture their own territory, but they forced the North Korean forces to the Chinese border, at which point the Chinese decided to get involved. The Chinese and North Koreans then reconquered the majority of the peninsula before the final momentum swing which saw the South reconquer parts of the North. Finally, in 1951, the North recaptured its own territory and both sides were basically back where they started, stuck fighting on the 38th parallel. During this time, the city of Seoul changed hands FIVE times.
The war waged on at this spot for two more years, known as the "stalemate." Neither side was able to gain much ground, and the Chinese were suffering too many casualties. Finally, in 1953, the war was called off, and the many parties made their way to the negotiating table to discuss a potential armistice.
The armistice was signed in July 1953 by the U.N., North Korea and China. Interestingly, South Korea was not invited to negotiate, nor sign the armistice, a major point of bitterness here because it is said that South Korea was not ready to stop fighting and that they were ready to forge on in an attempt to recapture the entire peninsula.
A key component of the armistice was the creation of the demilitarized zone. The DMZ is essentially a buffer between the two countries. Seeing as they are divided along the 38th parallel, the DMZ extends for two kilometres on both sides of the entire border, making it four kilometres wide. This buffer zone is very unique, seeing as it's the only one of its kind existing in the world today, and it is actually now home to millions of species of wildlife including several endangered species. The DMZ is a peaceful place. As per its name, no military nor any civilians are allowed into it, as its purpose is exclusively to maintain the divide between the two Koreas and to serve as a necessary buffer to prevent invasion from either side, but particularly from the North.
On our tour, not only were we given an incredible history lesson, but we got to witness this history firsthand, and on several occasions we were actually able to see North Korea quite clearly.
We first visited a rest area, where we saw some monuments for the dead along with some cries for peace and some photos of the war.
We then travelled to the Peace Bridge, a bridge that historically crossed the border, though today it only leads into the DMZ. You actually aren't even allowed to get onto the bridge, but it was nice to see. Alongside the bridge you can find the Freedom Bell and even the remains of an old locomotive that was transporting goods to the south, yet was halted by the North and absolutely decimated by bullets. We were also able to visit the only train station that leads into North Korea, called Darasan Station, though this station was officially shut down in 2016.
We were then transported to a lookout. Here, we were mere metres away from the North Korean border, and from this point we could see where South Korea ends, we could see the 4km wide buffer zone, and we could very clearly see where North Korea begins. In fact, these two countries illustrated their borders rather well. The two sides partook in the "Flagpole War," wherein South Korea had erected a 100-metre tall flagpole, only to be outdone by their North Korean neighbours, who erected a 160-metre tall flagpole, which is the fourth tallest flagpole in the world today. Both flagpoles were clearly visible from the lookout, as well as a "fake village" in North Korea, strategically placed there for propaganda purposes to show the world that they're a fairly well-off country.
The pictures to not do this site enough justice, however. The view was quite clear, and to be fair, from where we were standing, North Korea did seem to boast some pretty impressive landscapes.
Finally, we visited a more modern piece of history in the "Third Tunnel."
Even though an armistice was signed in 1953, it did not deter the North Koreans from further attempting to invade the South. Over the years, the North Koreans built a series of tunnels. Only four have been discovered, and we do not know whether others have been built (scary thought eh?). These four tunnels were discovered after a North Korean defected to South Korea and informed authorities about their existence. The purpose of these tunnels was, of course, to invade Seoul, and apparently the third tunnel was large enough to allow 100,000 members of the North Korean military to pass through and overwhelm the border's defences. I guess it's a good thing they never succeeded.
We were unfortunately not allowed to bring phones or cameras into the tunnel, so I have no photos of the interior, however we were allowed to descend into it. The tunnel is long and quite steep, and when you get to the bottom it's actually rather low. It's not necessarily impressive to look at, but walking through it is an amazing experience in terms of understanding how well built it was, and how easily the North Korean forces could have just marched into South Korea.
The were a few nice things to photograph outside the tunnel, however.
Ultimately, visiting the DMZ was an incredible and eye-opening experience. Beyond admiring the sites and relishing in how close you got to North Korea, we have to acknowledge the obvious: the conflict is definitely not over. At any given moment, thousands of missiles are pointed at Seoul. Though I firmly believe none of them will ever be launched, as it's been the case for 60 years now, this reality cannot just be glossed over.
Additionally, amid all this talk about North Korea and the threat they've posed to South Koreans, to the U.S. and to the world at large, we need to acknowledge the suffering North Koreans face in their own country. It is among the poorest nations on the planet, comparable to many impoverished African countries, and people in North Korea generally do not have any rights. It is illegal to sway from the norm. In North Korea, you must pledge unwavering allegiance to the government and you have no real freedom. All North Koreans, men and women alike, are obligated to serve a 10-year term in the military. North Koreans are starving and are not paid enough to be able to even afford food, and any person trying to rebel or undermine authority are forced into hard labour camps. To make matters even worse, for every North Korean forced into a labour camp, his/her descendants for three generations are forced into it as well, meaning that if this person has children and grandchildren, they will not be spared. Kim Jong Un's regime runs tyranny not on the international community, but against its own people, and that, in my opinion, is the biggest tragedy here.
-Daniele
