This past weekend I took a trip to the DMZ for a day. I was supposed to go with a coworker but he didn't quite make it out of bed in the morning. The trip was interesting and I can't quite but the emotions I felt into words. For me, perhaps, it's difficult to comprehend that Korea still is a country at war. I've had no personal experience with war, never been involved in one, never been close to one. Now, two hours North of where I live there is a arbitrary line that divides two countries that have completely different ideologies and are technically, still at war.
One thing that I really did not understand was the fact there is an amusement park of sorts located at Imjingak. Clearly, South Korea has chosen to make money off the dispute and use the DMZ as a tourist destination. Our group leader, jokingly said the DMZ is the safest place to be since there are so many Chinese that visit the area and Kim Jung Il would never want to kill a Chinese citizen. He also explained Kim Jung Il is not crazy (see my opinion on the situation here: http://lifentimesofjc.blogspot.com/2011/01/will-there-be-war-between-south-korea.html) and gave us a brief history of Korea, including the Korean War.
Also, I was enlightened when I learned specifically about the DMZ. Surprisingly, South Korea did not sit down at the table when the line was drawn. From my understanding, it was the United States, China, and North Korea. There is a South Korean Buffer zone, the DMZ itself, then a North Korean buffer zone. No people are allowed in the actual DMZ itself. Therefore, it has become a home to several animals and in this day and age remains in pristine condition. So, no person ever actually goes to the DMZ. They are only in the South Korean buffer zone. Nevertheless, there are several places where I could see North Korea.
It was a unique experience I have had thus far in Korea and would recommend it to everyone. I was able to see two tunnels, two observation points, as well as a few other interesting areas. South Korea has found 4 tunnels thus far, with the entrances in North Korea starting at a deeper point than the parts in South Korea. So, if North Korea invaded, their troops would have to run uphill. This was explained to me so water could drain from the tunnel as North Korea was building it. Interestingly, you can also see drill marks where the dynamite was used and all the ones I saw looked as though they had been drilled towards South Korea. Nevertheless, I am no expert and of course, North Korea claims South Korea had built the tunnels. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible.
(Part of the tourism. These little statues were all over to take your picture with.)
(Freedom Bridge. The train used to stop here and let passengers from North Korea off. Therefore, once arriving in South Korea, they would have freedom, hence the name.)
(I never did get the full story with this train. It was riddled with bullet holes. Perhaps it was one of the last trains during the Korean War to come back across the DMZ.)
(Notes from people, I'm guessing wishing for peace or unification. When the DMZ was drawn, that was it. No person could cross over the line. There was no grace period of a week to pack up and pick which side you wanted to live in. Therefore, as I'm sure many of you know, families were instantly divided.)
(More messages on the bridge itself.)
(Some of the messages up close)
(United States Memorial - see below)
(Inscription on the block at the base of the center of the memorial. All of the photos above were taken at Imjingak.)
(Check points all over the place)
(Headed into the South Korean buffer zone. Like I said, nothing I have ever seen in my life.)
(Inside one of the tunnels. You are not actually allowed to take pictures so this is from someone else's blog. I knew someone would have taken a photo and posted it on the internet. I had to wear a hard hat and was thankful I had it. I was constantly ducking, and once or twice my head hit the rocky ceiling. I'm not even a tall guy - 5'8". One estimate said 30,000 men could have come through one of the tunnels in an hour.)
(Observation point)
(Absolute silliness. They have these magic lines drawn where, if a person was standing behind it, they could take a picture. If they stepped over the line, the picture had to be deleted. I'm sure North Korea knows every inch of South Korea's defenses and vice versa. So, what difference would it make to take a picture of South Korea. And, why would South Korea care if you took pictures of North Korea? Our guide explained it best when he said simply, it adds to the hype and mystique of the trip if there is a magic yellow line. I took pictures just like these guys.)
(Tower in North Korea in the distance. I could see South Korea's tower while I was there. Supposedly, it turned into a bit of a contest and each year, one tower would go higher than the other. Kind of a mine's bigger than yours, if you know what I mean. However, that is North Korea in the distance.)
(Weirdest part of the trip - Dorasan Station. This has to be a multimillion dollar station built as the last stop in South Korea. Two trains go there a day. The line continues into North Korea and I guess, at some point, is supposed to connect to the Trans Siberian Railroad. However, it seems a little premature to have this station, at least in my opinion. I just do not quite know the purpose this station serves.)
(Dorasan Station)
(North Korea, here I come. Well, not quite yet...)
(A lady on the tour just hanging out. Notice the little red sign to the right.)
(Yep, that's the sign - craziness)
(Another observation point. At this building we learned during the Korean War, one mountain changed occupiers either 14 or 24 times in a 10 period day. The mountain itself stood a meter - over 3 feet - shorter after the battles were finished. Again, crazy, 3 feet off the top of a mountain.)
(Not the best game I've ever played but I still had a blast)
(Little kids just hanging out in a man made creek which ran throughout the park. It was hot so I understand why they were all in the water.)
(Waiting for the right time...)
(Very poor timing on my part. I just couldn't jump quite high enough. Needless to say, I was a little wet the rest of the day.)
(Chelsea and I hanging at the park, watching some Rollerbladers)
(Had Spenser take a picture of this kid solely because of his shoes - loved the style!)
(This was one of the coolest parts of the park. Kids could ride these mini cars around for free for a set amount of time and then they would change out to the next group. The city actually blocks off a whole street for the little tykes to drive around.)
(Ridin' Dirty)
