District 1260 Blog

We met our tour at the Lotte Hotel at 9h50 this morning ( Thursday).   Today was  also Parents' Day in South Korea, an opportunity for children to express their love, respect and gratitude towards their parents by giving them carnations...?!  For us however, the day was focussed on getting a first hand experience of the turmoil that still exists because of the North-South divide.

The DMZ or demilitarised zone is only 1,5 hours drive north of Seoul.  It's amazing to think that while Seoul is pulsating with life and potential, two sides are staring at each other in distrust across an impenetrable barrier.  We visited a few monuments on our way to the furthest point north, one which listed the 18 reporters that gave their lives during the Korean war in order to give the truth to the world.  Two of the reporters were British and worked for The Guardian and The Times.  We also stopped off the visit Imjingak or 'Place of Nostalgia'.  This, as I'm sure you can tell from the name, is as far as any South Korean can get to the North border.  They can stand on a platform that gives a view across the Imjingang river and remember family and friends lost many years ago to barbed wire fences and heavily patrolled borders. 

 As foreigners, we were allowed to go all the way to where to North and South meet.  It stated on our tour information sheet that Blue Jeans and shaggy or unkept hair were not allowed in the DMZ.  That left Callum and I a bit uncomfortable, as we were both wearing jeans (not to mention shaggy hair - i blame the water in Seoul, don't know if Callum has an excuse?)  No one stopped us for questioning though.  I don't somehow think that jeans and hairstyles were our top priorities when we read the words on the Visitors Declaration that you sign before entering the Joint Security Area:

" The visit to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom will entail entry into a hostile area and possibility of injury or death as a direct result of enemy action.  The JSA is a neutral but divided area guarded by United Nations Command military personnel on the one side (South) and Korean People's Army personnel on the other (North).  Guests of the UN Command are not permitted to cross the Military Demarcation Line into the portion of the JSA under control of the Korean People's Army.  Although incidents are not anticipated, the UN Command, the USA and the Republic of Korea cannot guarantee the safety of visitors and may not be held accountable in the event of a hostile enemy act."

We signed, got into the UN blue bus and trusted all would be well.  We drove across the DMZ, which is 4km wide and 241km wide.  I found it astonishing to learn that they are allowing farmers to farm this stretch of land and those that do can live in protected villages within the DMZ.  They also don't pay any tax!, but I'm not so sure I would choose armed gunmen above the Tax Man?  They cultivate mainly rice and Red Korean Ginseng. 

We arrived at Panmunjom after two passport checks.  We had the chance to enter the conference room, which is the actual room where representatives from North and South sit either side of a big conference table to discuss important issues, one of which must be the ever present topic of unification.  While we visited the guards from the South and North were facing each other across a distance of maybe 50 yards.  We were given strict instructions NOT to point, wave or make any hand gestures.  It does drive it home to you seeing the two sides stare at each other that Korea is a divided country with many individuals living daily with the pain of separation and the agony of not knowing what happened to loved ones.  So many ordinary South Koreans talk about possible unification and it is a dream that lives in the hearts of many.  Wouldn't it be great to see the 23 million North Koreans and the 50 million South Koreans unite after years of heartache and destruction.  As we left the area I read a slogan on a picture in the gift shop that said, "Freedom is never free!"  What powerful words.  Lets treasure our freedom and remember those that gave their lives so we can be free.

 Elmi