To see pictures of my trip, visit: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2304898&id=30807922
After rescheduling three times because people cancelled on me, I finally made it to the DMZ, or the De-Militarized Zone. The DMZ is a 4km cushion between North and South Korea, separated by barbed wire, live mines, anti-tank technology, huge fences, sniper towers, etc. In 1953, an armistice that still exists was put into place. Since that time, North Korea has tried to assassinate multiple leaders and has succeeded in bombing government officials, dug tunnels from North Korea towards Seoul, been successful in infiltrating the government with spies, etc. It’s an extreme situation for sure and the DMZ felt like standing in calm just before a storm.
The first area I visited was called JSA, or the Joint Security Area. In this area, there are buildings from both the North and the South. There are many U.S. soldiers there, but in recent years, the number of U.S. soldiers has decreased and stands at 5% of the soldiers guarding the DMZ, while ROK (Republic of Korea, or South Korean) soldiers make up the other 95% of the soldiers. It is here that meetings are held between world powers to discuss things that each Korea wants. Many European countries also have soldiers stationed here also.
On a side note: I had an interesting meeting with a girl on the bus. The tour guide asked where I was from and I said, “Near Rockford, Illinois.” The girl in front of me, who I think was named Bethany, was from Rockford! She went to Jefferson High School. After graduating, she went to Trinity College and was roommates with a girl that graduated with my brother, Caleb, in 2003 named Danielle Barker who also just happened to date a guy, Ted Rupnow, who I grew up going to church with since I was a toddler. I was like, “Woah, this world is small!”
The first stop in the JSA was in a room used to show us a video that contained a brief history of the DMZ and have us sign a declaration and receive visitor U.N. badges. In the declaration, we were told things like not to make any sort of contact with those on the North Korea side, not to speak to them nor do anything such as even point in their direction. If we were caught doing so, we were instantly yelled at and warned not to do it again.
After the briefing, I witnessed what Sports Illustrated magazine called the most dangerous golf course in the world, which was surrounded by live mine fields on three sides. This was interesting, but only done in passing on the bus. It was soon after this, we could not take pictures again. In fact, I was not allowed to take pictures about 80% of the tour due to government restrictions.
The group was taken an area of the JSA where the North and South Koreas literally met. It was there that there were blue buildings (South Korean) and gray buildings (North Korean). They stood next to each other and directly across from each other stood two buildings of the same height that were built to be used for visitors from either country, but North Korea won’t let anyone use them because they are afraid of their citizens defecting to South Korea (who wouldn’t want to get out of there, right?).
I was able to see the ROK soldiers in action, guarding the buildings. They stood halfway behind the buildings in case of an attack and constantly watched the North Korean side. I witnessed about fifteen North Korean soldiers, who we were told were probably finishing up their ten years of military service because they were taking pictures with the South Korean buildings in the background, which we were told was unusual. In the distance stood sniper towards, in which we were told contained at least two snipers who were watching us at all times. Directly across from us about 100 yards away, stood a man with binoculars watching us. About every minute, he would walk over to a small, opened window and report was he was seeing.
We were allowed to enter one of the blue buildings and told what it was used for throughout the year. It was in the building called the Military Justice Committee Conference Building that I got to learn about the meetings held by officials from Europe, the UN, South Korea, and North Korean officials annually. I was able to stand in North Korea (inside the building, as if I did that outside, I would have been shot or captured). In the MJCCB building, there was a table with microphones that recorded everything 24-hours a day that stood directly on the border between the North and South. Two ROK soldiers stood guard in the room, one of them guarding the door to the North Korean side. We were told not to step behind them and an older woman did not listen. Instantly, the guard side stepped in front of her and blocked her with his arm, scaring the crap out of her. It’s funny how people suck at listening to directions.
It was in this building, we learned that the North Koreans were troublemakers and always doing stupid things. For instance, there were small, silk flags hanging in this meeting room and one time, two North Korean guards used them to blow their nose. Since then, the flags have been covered with a glass frame. In the gray building next door, which the North Koreans call the “Recreation Room”, there is no recreation equipment at all. Instead, when official business is being held in the blue building 5 feet away, North Koreans will enter the “Recreation Room” and do crude things to try and distract the meetings being held next door.
It was most definitely eerie being so close to North Koreans and standing in what is considered North Korea. I would not want to even joke about defecting or being captured. North Korea is crazy.
The rest of the day was quite disappointing for a few reasons. One, we were not told until we got onto the bus that checkpoints 3 and 4 were closed for renovations and not to be reopened until December. At checkpoint three, there is a bridge called “The Bridge of No Return”. It was here that all the POWs from the North and South were given a chance to choose which side they would live in. I had heard of this area before and most definitely looking forward to seeing it. Secondly, at checkpoint two, we were supposed to be able to see 27km into North Korea, but the weather was the poorest since my arrival in Korea. The rain and fog was so bad that I was only able to see about 15 feet in front of my face, if that.
We were told what we were missing out on, which makes me want to go back. In the 27km area we were supposed to be able to see, North Korea built a 136-meter high flag pole, a propaganda town, and an industrial town. In this area, there is also supposed to be a 26-meter high, golden statue of Kim Il-sung (the first leader of Communist North Korea and father of Kim Jong-il, current leader of North Korea) and a huge satellite radio jammer.
The propaganda town is literally a town of houses and buildings that North Korea built to show off their power to South Korea, but no one lives there. It’s a ghost town. In the town, North Korea used to post huge signs saying that Kim Il-sung is great and/or South Koreans should defect to North Korea because it’s a heavenly place. An agreement was made some years ago that they would stop putting up such signs.
Behind the propaganda town is an industrial town. Some years ago, North and South Korea agreed to build a town full of factories. North Korea would use it to give jobs to some of their men and South Korea would build it. Soon, South Korea realized the machines were being run on battery power because North Korea wouldn’t provide the electricity, so South Korea now provides the electricity to run the machines in the factories. Ninety-percent of the money in North Korea is used on their military and because they have alienated themselves from the rest of the world, they can’t afford to have electricity in many areas. Even in their capitol, electricity is not used after 7pm.
Next, I visited one of four discovered tunnels that North Korea was digging in order to attack South Korea. It was said that South Korea believes there are probably at least 10 more of these tunnels that have yet to be discovered. The tunnel that I visited was not discovered until 1990 and was discovered by accident by some farmers. It went underground and continued for huge distances. The ground itself was composed of 90% granite, but when North Korea learned they had been discovered, they painted the walls of the tunnel black and claimed they were mining coal and lost track of where they were digging.
If the tunnel was finished, North Korea could have used it to attack South Korea within an hour. The tunnel itself was dug in such a way that the water inside would not go stagnant and led towards the city of Seoul. It was discovered because some farmers heard weird noises, so the South Korean government bore holes in the ground and filled them with water. Because of the back pressure in the tunnel, one of the holes filled with water shot the water out backwards like a geyser. It was then that the South Korean government dug some more holes in that area and the water would disappear, thus they knew there was a tunnel underneath.
Going into the tunnel, I wore a yellow hard hat, which was much needed. The tunnel at times was about half my height and I had to crouch down the entire time and bumped my head continually. I was glad when I was able to stand up straight again.
Throughout the day, we were repeatedly told about the “Ax Murder Massacre”. In the 1970s, the North and South were allowed to have checkpoints throughout the JSA on opposite sides of the border. In one area, the North Koreans built three buildings around one South Korean building. Next to the South Korean building was a huge tree that blocked the view of another South Korean building. It was agreed that South Korea could trim the tree so they could protect their surrounded building, but when a South Korean General and his men went to trim the tree, the North Koreans attacked them… with axes. They killed the General and one of his men by hacking them to death with axes. I saw the pictures of this happening and it was crazy.
The last stop on our tour was a little museum with a video about the Korean War. It was the same information we had learned or saw throughout the day. I snapped a few more photos before leaving, then got on the bus. I hope to go back on a clear day so I can see the 27km in North Korea and see the areas that are now being renovated. It was still a worthwhile trip that was extremely eerie and eye-opening, as it showed me just how important my freedoms happen to be.
