Visiting the DMZ

The Demilitarized Zone between North Korea and South Korea is an eerie place. Their are tourist companies that arrange visits which is wierd in and of itself. I went a few years ago with a youth group of Koreans and Germans. We were given a special tour I think and we were the only group there. It is located in a very remote area of the Korean Peninsula. The Korean people who live near the DMZ are given special permission to live there. It is the best area for growing rice so there are small communities along the DMZ.

As you get closer to the area where the military is stationed you start seeing these look out buildings on the sides of the roads. They also serve as strategic places where the road would be blown up in the event that the North decides to attack the South.

Once you get to the actual military compound you can't take anymore pictures. You can hear North Korean propaganda coming from the loud speakers on the other side. There is a white line and right across from each other are four guards. Two South Koreans and Two North Koreans and they just stand there all day guarding this line which is so tempting to cross. You can see the North Koreans right on the other side and their watch tower. You know they are watching you as you walk around. One can't help but to wonder what they are thinking.

The environment in the area is BEAUTIFUL!!! There are mountains everywhere and you can see a stream down in a valley and the air is so clean. It is an odd backdrop with all the high security. I mean these guys are on 24/7. The war isn't over.

We also were taken on a tour of the tunnels. I am not sure if anyone back home knows about this but I must say this was the most intriguing part of the trip. No one knows who built the tunnels..North or South Koreans. No one seems to know when they were dug. I cannot remember if they had found all of them or if there was speculation of more. These tunnels go through the mountains and are a direct link between the two countries.

It is so wierd to go into one because you can see where people were digging. You can guess the height of folks and they were short. I was wearing a hard hat and was bent over most of the time. (Thank God for the hard hat because my head hit the ceiling in more than one spot.) These tunnels are also equipped with explosives that will cause them to collapse. In the tunnel I went into there was a spot where the tunnel was blocked off with warning signs. Beyond this was North Korea and you could see down the other side.

There are ongoing talks, both formally and informally, about Reunification. It is a nice thought but it will be superhumanly difficult. Right now South Korea is not prepared to carry the load that the North would place on it. There is rampant hunger and malnourishment in the North. People are discovering children whose growth is being stunted and brain development slowed due to lack of food. Not to mention that most people there have no clue what has been happening in the world. There has been brainwashing on a massive scale. I mean, the education system here can't even accomodate the re-education of millions of people.

So talks are happening and the hope is that the resolution will be a peaceful one. I hope it will be peaceful.